


Be Gay, Do Crime

by Gues



Series: Tangled: The Series (eyyyy) [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad Parent Quirin Broke, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Like, Moon Powers Cassandra (Disney: Tangled), Moon Powers Varian (Disney), Temporary Character Death, Watch as I metaphorically sock Freddy™ in the jaw, We now have Quirin trying his damn best, also maybe literally, blink and you miss it temporary, very temporary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 92,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25860028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gues/pseuds/Gues
Summary: A rewrite of season 3, as well as a continuation of the last rewrite.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Lady Caine/Lance Strongbow, Lance Strongbow & Varian, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Series: Tangled: The Series (eyyyy) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875703
Comments: 204
Kudos: 245





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for the title

Cassandra walked down the halls of the mansion, keeping her hand close to her sword’s hilt. She jumped when a door swung open, a wooden door, the edges lined with metal. She took out her sword and walked through it slowly, squinting her eyes at the bright white emanating from the room inside. She took a moment to adjust and looked around.

She was back in Corona. She could see the castle from where she stood, on the edge of a cliff overlooking a mist-covered river, though it was not the castle she was focusing on. Instead, she stared daggers into the plaque on the edge, decorated with spikes of the black rocks. 

“Do you recognize this place?”

Cassandra jumped and whipped around, pain burning through her hand when she gripped her sword. She looked around for the origin of the voice and came across a small girl.

“ _Where is Rapunzel?_ ” Cassandra’s voice was practically dripping with malice, her grip on her sword not loosening despite the girl’s peaceful demeanor.

“Not at all curious as to how _you_ got here I see.” She waited to see Cassandra’s response, then sighed when her stance showed no change. “Very well. Rapunzel is fine. I made sure of it. You will see her soon, but there is something I must show you first.”

Cassandra swung her sword, stopping just before it swiped across the child’s neck. “Whatever it is you want to show me, it can wait until _after_ Rapunzel is safe.”

The girl rolled her eyes and walked away, not bothering to check if she followed or not. Cassandra lowered her sword and contemplated her next move. She looked back to where the door was. It was no longer there, just another spike of rocks on the cliffside. She groaned and put her sword away, following the girl from a distance.

“An old friend of mine was charged with the job of keeping you here. I apologize for the...complications he may have caused. He likes to mess with his guests.” The girl chuckled softly, both amusement and disappointment present. 

“Where exactly are you taking me?”

“Have you never heard of friendly conversation?” She looked back at Cassandra, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll see soon enough. We’re almost there.”

The scenery around them changed, the soft purple glow fading to blue, the grass at their feet turning to hard stone. Cassandra glanced back up, the view ahead no longer the woods, but a circular room, a long black bridge with a glowing stone in a cage at the center. 

“Is that--”

“The moonstone? Yes. I believe you would be the right person to learn what lies in wait for your friend.” 

As she spoke, a figure appeared. Familiar blonde hair glowing brightly, flowing high above her head. She walked past them, seemingly unaware the two were there.

“Rapunzel?” Cassandra called after her, quietly, unsure. The princess did not respond, instead walking forward, hand reaching out to the moonstone.

The cage around the moonstone melted away, allowing it to float up to meet her. Rapunzel took it, a wave of electricity spiraling from the two of them. She screamed, a deafening cry that rang throughout the chamber, echoing and bouncing off the rocks. Cassandra ran to her, but was pushed back by the spikes of lightning, bursts of energy shoving her back every few seconds.

“Rapunzel!” She shouted this time, trying desperately to get her attention, to pull her friend away from the moonstone.

Rapunzel arched her back, the glow fading from her hair and flowing to her chest, a blinding yellow light pouring out of it in the shape of a flower. Just as quick as it had started, it finished. The princess fell to the ground, silent, a small drop of yellow floated above her. Cassandra wasted no time running to her, falling to her knees and sliding across the rocks to meet her.

“Rapunzel, please be ok.” Cassandra whispered, tears in her eyes as she tried to hold Rapunzel in her arms. Her hands floated through, unable to touch her. Rapunzel did not respond. 

A cold, small hand, was put gently on her shoulder. “I know this must be hard for you to see, but I had no choice.” 

Cassandra whipped her head around, trying to maintain her hostile demeanor, but found it impossible.

Her expression was soft, reassuring. The girl smiled. “You had to see this to prevent it. I can help you save her.”

Cassandra balled her hands into fists, every part of her rational mind telling her to just run away, find another way out, ignore whatever it is this girl had to say. And yet, “How?”

The smile widened. “The sundrop is stubborn. She’ll stick to the destiny laid out for her no matter how hard you try to pull her away. Instead, you must take away that option. Take the moonstone before she can even think to grab it.”

Cassandra looked down at Rapunzel, tears flowing down and dropping on her friend’s face. “Will it kill me?”

“Of course not, though I didn’t think that would matter.”

Cassandra stopped crying and stood up, her fists shaking. “It doesn’t.”

* * *

“You saw all of this in The House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow?” Rapunzel asked quietly, looking at the moonstone sparking on Cassandra’s chest with shaking eyes.

“I saw enough, and there is no way I’m letting you _throw_ your life away on some stupid destiny!” Sparks flew from the moonstone, little electric cracks that flowed from the rock and throughout her armor.

“How do you even know what she said was true?” Rapunzel started walking toward her, slowly.

“I don’t have to! I’m not risking it!”

Rapunzel started to respond, another useless rebuttal to get her friend back on her side, but was interrupted by the door kicking open. Adira, Hector, and Madeline ran through the door, assessing the situation, Lance following cluelessly behind them. Eugene motioned them to stay, wait until the situation was resolved. 

Varian looked back to the rest of the group, then started to walk forward, unperturbed by the electric spikes surging from Cassandra’s armor. “Cassie, I get what you’re doing but this is _not_ the way to go about it.”

“Don’t call me Cassie.” Cassandra narrowed her eyes, rocks growing around her. Varian kept walking forward.

“These rocks aren’t going to stop until we reunite the sundrop and moonstone, you _know_ this. You’re risking thousands of lives over one, and you don’t even know if her life is at risk! Are you that fucking selfish that you won’t consider--”

“ _Enough!_ ” Cassandra yelled, putting her hands over her ears. 

Rocks shot up around her, getting bigger the farther they were away from her. Varian braced himself, preparing for the inevitable punch in the gut. They slammed against him, sending him flying across the room, hitting the wall with a loud thud and sliding down to the ground. Cassandra stared at him, the rocks, down at her hands. They shook, electricity sparking out of them. 

Adira’s reaction was instant, she ran toward her, slashing the rocks in her path, Hector following close behind, jumping from rock to rock. Cassandra crossed her arms over her face, summoning rocks to block their attack. Adira slashed through it, slamming her sword down on Cassandra’s armor.

“Release the moonstone, Short-Hair. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” Adira pushed against her, sliding toward the edge of the platform.

“Neither...do you!” A burst of electricity shot from the moonstone on her chest. Hector caught Adira as she flew back from the explosion, both of them sliding back and slamming against one of the rocks. Cassandra caught Adira’s sword when it flew out of her hand and placed it where her old sword used to reside.

She looked at them all, half staring at her, frightened, the other half slumped on the floor. Before any of them could get another word in, Cassandra ran.

“Cass!” Rapunzel called after her, reaching her hand as Cassandra passed. She got up and started to run as well, but stopped when Eugene grabbed her hand.

“Wait, Rapunzel are you sure it’s safe to--”

“It’s Cassandra. I’m sure we can figure this out, whatever it is.” Rapunzel squeezed his hand, then let go and chased after her friend. “Cass!”

Cassandra slowed her sprint and turned, her staple glare everpresent. “What?!”

Rapunzel jumped, not used to Cassandra’s aggression being directed at her. “Cass, please, I know you want to keep me safe and I appreciate that but you can’t do this.”

“Why not? What exactly are you going to do to stop me?” 

“Cassandra listen--”

“No!” Rocks shot up as she spoke, making them both jump. Cassandra regained her composure. “How about you listen to me for a change?” 

Rapunzel went quiet.

“I am going to take the moonstone and keep it as far away from you as I can. I’ll send away the rocks too, if I can manage it. _You,_ ” The rocks grew at the hint of aggression. “Are going to let me leave. You are _not_ to follow me. Is that clear?”

“Cass I--”

“Could you stop questioning me at every turn? Is that all you ever do? If someone’s suggestion is just slightly different from yours, or-- or goes against what _you_ want, do you have to ignore it?” Her hands tightened into shaking fists, the rocks started to glow. “Or do you just not trust _me?_ ”

“Cassandra I never meant to--”

“Never meant to? Of course not! You never mean to! I’ve been patient for so long because I _knew_ you didn’t mean to be so-- so condescending!” Cassandra tried to calm herself down, keep her voice lowered. “I’ve let you get away with so much, but I can’t take it anymore!”

“I’m sorry.” Rapunzel said quietly, just above a whisper.

Cassandra raised her hand, starting to reach out to her, comfort her, then pulled her hand away. “I am too.”

The rocks around her grew, spiraling and shooting up as high as the ceiling. Rapunzel tried to squeeze through, but found herself unable to do so. Stuck, she watched helplessly as her friend ran away. 

“Sunshine,” A hand was put lightly on her shoulder. “Are you going to be ok?”

“We have to go after her.” Rapunzel turned back to him, meeting eyes with the rest of the group.

“Normally I’d agree wholeheartedly but… I don’t think it would be safe for you to go after her now.” Eugene squeezed her shoulder, eyes begging her to stay, knowing she’d most likely refuse.

“Safe? This is Cass we’re talking about. She wouldn’t hurt me.” 

Eugene looked to the others. “She didn’t hesitate with anyone else.” 

Rapunzel sighed. “Fine.” Her mood shifted, back to its usual. “Fine!”

“Ok?”

“Well!” Rapunzel clapped her hands together. “The moonstone’s gone now so there’s no use wasting any time around here. Let’s figure a way around this, then we’ll find a way home.”

Eugene looked at her, slightly confused at the sudden change in attitude. He tried to comment, but was interrupted by the rocks moving down to the ground. 

“Look at that! Our luck’s turning around!” Rapunzel took Eugene’s hand and pulled him along. “Let’s go!”

The others followed them, equally as confused as he was, out to the edge of the cliff. 

“Now we just have to make it across this!” Rapunzel motioned to the gorge, a wide smile across her face. 

Eugene took her hand slowly to catch her attention. “Hey, uh, Blondie? I couldn’t help but notice you’re doing that thing…”

“What thing?”

“That...thing where you pretend everything’s great when it's…” He watched as she nodded enthusiastically. “Look what happened with Cass--”

“Yeah that was...interesting. Moving on!” 

“Uh...what?”

“Yep! We may have gotten out of the castle, but we still have to find a way back home. Any suggestions?” Rapunzel put her hands on her hips, smiling at them. 

“Well we could,” Lance pointed nervously behind them. “We could take that balloon up there?”

“A balloon! Now there’s an idea!” Rapunzel laughed, not exactly sure if he was joking or not. Eugene tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at the sky. Sure enough, a balloon was flying down to them.

The balloon hit the ground with a soft thud. Those who had weapons readied them as the basket rattled and shook from whatever was inside. A figure hopped out of the basket and waved at them excitedly.

“Hookfoot?” Rapunzel’s smile widened yet again. She ran and hugged him, almost knocking them both into the basket. “I didn’t know you could balloon!”

“Good to see you, princess.” Hookfoot returned the hug, then let go, his mood immediately turning more serious.

“Why-- why are you here exactly? If you don’t mind me asking?” Rapunzel’s smile fell.

“Rapunzel, the rocks-- we thought they’d stop invading the kingdom when you left but they’ve only gotten worse and your father-- he-- we’ve had to evacuate parts of the kingdom we can’t survive anymore we--”

“Woah, slow down!” Rapunzel put her hands on his shoulders and exaggerated her breathing, waiting for him to calm down. “Ok. What happened to my father?”

“It’s not what’s happening to him, princess. He’s--” Hookfoot started to explain, but jumped back. “Wait how is he-- but we saw--”

Varian recognized the source of his shock almost instantly. He stood up and walked towards Hookfoot, a smile creeping up, though different in energy from Rapunzel’s. “I am but a figment of your imagination. A hallucination brought on by your concerns and fears.” 

“Varian, stop. It’s not funny.” Eugene watched as Hookfoot trembled in fear at the sight of him. “The kid’s on our side, don’t worry.”

“Yes, ok, fair enough but how is he _alive?_ ” 

“What.”

“Ah, yes, the whole uh, execution thing. I can see where the confusion may be.” Varian patted Hookfoot’s shoulder, snickering a little when the man jumped. “A slight ruse on my part. I was still very much alive. Cut myself down after everyone left, actually.”

“Yes but _how_ is that even possible?!” Hookfoot exclaimed.

“Magic, I guess.” Varian shrugged. “You said there’s a problem in Corona, right?”

“Yes the king is--”

“Of course he is. How would you feel if I messed with that balloon of yours? I’m assuming this is a time-sensitive issue.” Varian pointed at the balloon, waited for a few seconds, then pulled various chemicals and tools from his bag and began fidgeting with the engine.

Eugene sighed and patted Hookfoot on the back, pulling him over to the others despite his protests. 

“So...Adira. Are you coming with us?” Lance asked, sliding himself to where the brotherhood was talking.

“At present, I believe the best option is for us to stay, though I assume my search for the moonstone will have us meet despite that.” Adira found it hard to hide the discomfort in her voice, scooting herself away as Lance slid closer.

“Of course. Just know that however far we may be, I’ll always be with you. In here.” Lance put his hand to his chest, then placed it on Adira’s shoulder. She responded by twisting his arm behind his back. “Forgot you don’t like being touched!”

Hector wheezed out a laugh at the spectacle, pointing at the both of them. “Please tell me you’re joking! He hasn’t been flirting with you the whole time has he?”

Adira sighed and let him go. “Yes. He has.”

“And here I thought you practically radiated the ‘I don’t like men’ vibe.” Hector said through his laughs. 

“Wait you’re--”

“Not interested in you? Yes.” Adira punched Hector in the arm, though it did not stop his laughter.

“I’m an idiot.” 

“That you are my friend.” Hector patted him on the back, feigning seriousness. He looked over to Adira, then to the queen. “Besides, isn’t there someone else who already holds you affections, sister?”

Adira coughed loudly, the non painted side of her face as red as the other. She glared at him. “One more word out of you and I’ll knock you off the cliff.” 

“I’d like to see you try--”

“Enough, the both of you.” Madeline interrupted, pushing them away from each other gently. “We see each other for the first time in decades and you’ve begun fighting in the first hour?” 

“Adira’s merely offended by me pointing out to our flirtatious friend here that her heart is already stolen.” Hector chuckled as Adira punched his arm yet again.

“Oh? And who would that be?” Madeline asked innocently, though she could not hide the smirk on her face.

“A woman I met on my travels. You wouldn’t know her.” Adira answered quickly.

Hector’s laughter did not cease. “Wouldn’t know her, huh? I think they know each other very--”

Adira took a knife from her pocket and held it up to his throat. “They have never met.” 

The queen sighed, then turned to her son, who was engaged in conversation with his girlfriend and the hook footed-man. She tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hello, son.” Madeline said with a smile, a nervous one. 

“Sup, your majesty.” 

“I um-- Well I-- I don’t know how to put this exactly but with the moonstone gone I must--”

“Are you staying or are you going?” Eugene tilted his head, partially concerned about her answer.

“I will not be joining you on your journey.” She sighed. “I know we hardly got to talk about all of this and that it’s all a lot to take in but I do hope our paths will cross again.”

“I’m sure they will, mom.” 

She smiled brightly, holding her hands together. “You called me mom!”

“What-- no-- that was a slip of the tongue I didn’t--” Eugene fumbled through his words, groaning at both his girlfriend and mother’s excitement. 

Madeline raised her hands in defeat. “I won’t push it.” She lowered her hands and took his. “Seeing you safe is more than I could ask for.” 

He smiled despite himself, watching as the queen turned back to the brotherhood, laughing at what could only be assumed to be teasing from Hector as his attitude suggested. 

All conversations came to a halt as Varian declared he had finished, tossing down his wrench triumphantly, laughing as he did so. Those who had decided they were going gathered around the balloon, those who weren’t stayed a few feet away. Adira walked to the front of those who weren’t, leaning down to meet eyes with Varian.

She put her hands on his shoulders.“I’m sorry I won’t be able to join you on your journey back, though I hope we’ll see each other soon.”

“What kind of goodbye is that? I’m obviously picking you up once this is sorted out.” Varian smiled, stating it as if it were obvious.

“What?”

“You said you wanted to talk with my dad right?” He waited for her reaction, a small nod. “So, after we figure out whatever Freddy messed up this time, I’ll bring back my dad and you two can catch up.” 

Adira snorted. “Freddy? And here I thought your father taught you to respect authority.”

Varian shrugged. “I guess it didn’t stick.” 

She ruffled his hair and smiled. “Have fun beating up the king.”

“Please don’t beat up my father.” Rapunzel cut in, smiling nervously. “We should get going.”

“Right!” Varian hopped into the balloon’s basket, joining the others. Rapunzel turned to the three that remained.

“Thank you for your help, all of you. I’m sorry this didn’t work out like we’d hoped.” 

“That’s alright, your highness. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Adira smiled, though she could not hide her concern.

Hector laughed. “That girl may be stubborn, but she’s shit in a fight. I doubt she’d be much of a problem for us.”

Madeline elbowed him in the side, glaring at him. “I’m sorry about him, he doesn’t know how to read the room.” She looked back to Rapunzel. “You and my son managed to pull me out of my stubbornness, I’m sure you’ll be able to get through to her. She just needs a bit of time.”

“Thank you, your highness.” Rapunzel smiled and gave her a hug, much to her surprise. She let go fast and jumped over the wall of the basket, joining her group. “Is that everybody?”

“I hope so. It’s a tight fit.” Eugene squeezed past his friends to meet with her.

“Hold on! This thing’s about to fly.” Varian laughed maniacally as he pulled the lever. Fire shot up into the balloon, sending them into the air. The group fell backward, not prepared for the sudden jump. 

Rapunzel stared back at the castle behind them, now put to complete ruin. Rocks shot up from the sides, moving slowly back into the castle from where they sprouted up in the first place, the eerie red glow no longer present around it, reminding her of the betrayal that had taken place. She sighed and glanced down to the brotherhood. The queen stared up at her, a peculiar look in her eye. She didn’t know if it was judgment or concern, and she didn’t know if she wanted to find out just yet. 

She tried to pull herself together, turning away from the castle and looking ahead. She pulled out a map and started directing Varian. Her friends made comments anytime they passed by something familiar, though they stayed silent when they passed by what was left of the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrow. It took a while, though that was to be expected, but they finally made it back to Corona. 

Eugene practically leaped out of the balloon, opening the door for everyone else and letting them pile out. “Yes! No offense to any of you people, but we have been together way too long and I need a break from your faces.” He held out his hand to Rapunzel. “Except for you, of course, Blondie.” 

“I can’t believe how much I missed home!” Rapunzel exclaimed, looking around at her home. “I missed the bookstore, and the fountain-- Oh! Oh! And the sweet shop and bakery!”

“Well, I certainly don’t miss...that.” Eugene turned back to the island’s borders, now completely covered in the black rocks. 

They had invaded the surrounding area, houses and shops covered in them, places torn apart by the very thing they had been following. The place they had landed was completely abandoned, no doubt due to the lack of habitable space. Rapunzel stared at it all, her home, her people, forced to leave because of a problem she still couldn’t fix.

“You know what I miss? The people.” Lance said with a smile, trying to brighten the mood. He looked over to the crowd surrounding the castle. “And I believe I’ve found them.”

Rapunzel frowned. “You didn’t mention this, Hookfoot.”

“I know and I’m sorry it’s just-- All of this is so strange I didn’t know how to get it all out.” He explained, rather ashamed of himself for withholding information, though it had not been purposeful. 

Rapunzel made her way to the crowd, the others following cautiously behind. Varian showed more caution than the rest, almost hiding behind Eugene as they went, which confused him slightly.

“Hey kid, you ok?” 

“Yeah, totally.” He laughed nervously, practically shaking the closer they got. “I just-- well I-- I don’t think everyone will be-- I don’t think they’ll be ok with me being, well, alive.”

“Right.” Eugene frowned, putting his hand around Varian's arm. “Stay close. You’ll be fine.” 

He gave a grateful smile, still unsure about what would happen, though he was less scared. The group made their way to the back of the crowd, trying to discern exactly what they were all shouting about. At the front of the crowd, guards could be seen pushing them back, keeping the citizens from entering the castle. Rapunzel looked around frantically, not quite sure what to do. She let down her hair and whipped it around one of the towers, using it to swing herself over the crowd.

“That’s enough! All of you!” She shouted, managing to get the attention of the crowd. They quieted down. “Good. Now can someone please explain to me what’s going on.”

One of the guards opened his mouth.

“Not you.” She glared at the guard and pointed toward the crowd. “I’d like to hear it from _them_ first.”

One of the citizens walked forward, carefully, checking to make sure no one would push him back. Rapunzel smiled and held her hand out to him. “Thank you, Big Nose.”

“We’ve been forced out of our homes, your highness. You father he’s-- he hasn’t done anything about the black rocks. We don’t know what to do.” He explained, glancing over to the guards every other word. 

“Really? Hm.” Rapunzel thought for a second, then spoke in a louder tone. “People of Corona! I apologize on behalf of my father for the injustice you have received in my absence. My friends and I left to find the origin of the black rocks, and I believe the information we’ve gathered might be able to help with your situation. But for now, I’d like you all to remain calm and wait for me to speak with my father.”

The crowd talked amongst themselves, not quite sure what to do with the information given. A few people passed a message to Big Nose, who spoke again. “You have till sundown before we resume.” 

Rapunzel smiled and hopped down from where she stood, walking through the crowd to get her friends and bring them to the castle. They followed her, breaking through the crowd again, but stopped at a sudden scream. Others gasped and backed away.

“What’s going--” Rapunzel started to say, but was interrupted by one of the citizens.

“How the hell is he alive?!” 

“You said you were here to help us! Why would you align yourself with the same kid who tried to kill all of us?!”

“I watched him die! What kind of a freak of nature even survives that?!” 

Shouts grew along with the confusion, citizens screaming and yelling in their faces, conflicting voices all with their own accusations, some general, others personal. A portion of the crowd moved forward as others backed away, practically closing in on them. Varian held on tightly to Eugene’s arm, not quite sure what to say, if anything would make them stop. They kept screaming, all the insults and confused words ringing in his ears. He wanted to run away, make it all stop, hide back in the balloon and wait till it was all over, see if somehow they would let him go, let him live, let him esca--

“ _Enough!_ ” Rapunzel shouted over the crowd. They grew silent again. “Like it or not, we’re going to need him to fix the issue with the black rocks. They’ve hurt him just as much as they hurt you, he was _just_ the first one to lash out. Now let us _through!_ ”

The crowd stayed silent, letting the group pass with less protest, the only hint of malice being in their eyes. Rapunzel pulled them through, shoving past the guards and slamming open the door. Servants and officials alike asked her questions on her way to the throne room, welcoming her back and asking about the commotion outside. She didn’t answer them, too focused on the goal at hand. She kicked open the throne room’s door.

“I’m back, father.” Rapunzel said, anger still resonated in her voice. 

“My dear, I’m so glad you’ve returned home safely.” Frederic got up from his throne, arms out to welcome her into a hug, confused when she didn’t accept the offer. His confusion turned to shock, then to anger when he saw who was with them. “What the _hell_ is he doing alive.”

“Oh don’t even _start_ with that, I’ve had _enough_. You’re going to tell me exactly what has happened since I’ve been gone and don’t even think about leaving things out to make yourself seem better because I’m well aware of the worst of it.” Rapunzel’s anger only grew as she spoke, hands balling into shaking fists.

“Rapunzel, if this is about the rocks I swear I have it handled--”

“Handled?! You call this handled?! When the rocks reached our shores did you even bother to warn the people of the threat or did you just ignore it until you couldn’t anymore?” She watched as he backed away, not quite sure how to respond. “When they reached the outer town did you order an evacuation notice? Did you not order anything? Did you kick them out of their homes without warning?” 

“Rapunzel I think that’s enough.” 

“No, dad, it’s not enough until our people get a proper response to all of this. You can’t keep ignoring things like this! You can’t just pretend all our problems don’t exist and then be shocked when they spiral out of control!” Rapunzel continued to rant, unaware of the guards entering the room. 

“ _Rapunzel._ ”

“What, dad? What do you have to say for yourself? Do you not trust your people with this kind of information? Is that it? Do you think they can’t handle ‘important information?' That it will make them go into a panic? Well, guess what?” Rapunzel motioned around them. “We’re already in a panic!”

“ _Rapunzel!_ ”

“These people have been uprooted from their homes, every aspect of their lives torn away from them by a problem _you_ created, and _you_ ignored. I’m sick of you constantly avoiding anything that scares you! You’re putting people’s lives at risk because you’re too afraid to--”

“I said that’s _enough,_ young lady!” The king was now merely a foot away from her, slowly closing in the more she had ranted. He towered over her. It scared her. She stopped speaking.

He let out a sigh of relief and motioned the guards to close in as well, grabbing her friends and holding them down. “It seems I made the wrong decision, letting you leave. No doubt _his_ influence on you, I assume.” Frederic glared at Varian to emphasize his point.

“Father, I--”

“I think you’ve said enough.” He narrowed his eyes, any warmth in them frozen and shattered. “You will be locked in your room until you apologize for your behavior. As for the rest of you, you three will be put in jail for your treasonous acts.”

“But they haven’t even done anything!--”

“I thought I told you to stop talking.” The king made his way toward the others, leaning down to meet Varian in the eyes. “And you, it seems my previous method of eliminating you wasn’t enough. I’ll do better about that this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to part two of this rewrite! As you can probably tell already, it isn't going to be following canon as much as the last one. I'll go ahead and say that yes, Arrianna will be playing a much larger role in the second half, that being you know, an actual role. She never really speaks when the king does? Especially when he's pissed like that, so I included that here. Hope you enjoyed reading this because I _certainly_ enjoyed writing it.


	2. Chapter 2

Rapunzel looked around her room, not sulking, at least according to her, just assessing her surroundings. It was cluttered, the kind of mess that was personal only to her, a collection of anything and everything she found interesting. Paintings were scrawled across the walls, birds, animals, people, her adventures in Corona. She looked down to her journal, rubbing her hand gently across the first page, a picture of her father. A knock came from the door.

“Rapunzel?” Frederic asked quietly, waiting for her to let him in. 

She said nothing.

He sighed and let himself in, glancing back to his wife before he walked inside. He sat down next to his daughter, contemplating reaching out to comfort her, but choosing not to. 

“Rapunzel…” He started to say. “I know you think I’m being too harsh on your… _friends_ , but you must know I’m doing this because I care about you. Letting you leave on that journey of yours, it was hard. I just got you back and I didn’t want to lose you again.”

“And you think _killing_ one of my friends is good for me?” Rapunzel’s hand stopped brushing against the page, balling into a fist.

“You consider him a friend?” Frederic seemed genuinely confused at that statement, thinking back to her behavior during the child’s attacks. “After everything he’s done to you?”

“Yes. Because unlike you, I acknowledged my mistakes. I-- _we_ are both making up for the mistakes we’ve made.” Rapunzel kept looking down, angry tears pooling in her eyes.

“He kidnapped my wife.” He looked toward Arianna. “He tried to kill you.”

“And you tried to kill him!” Rapunzel looked up to him, meeting him in the eyes. “And I let it happen.” 

“Rapunzel…”

“I made a promise to myself that I would _never_ abandon him again. I’m not going to break it.” She slammed the journal shut, glaring at him as she did so. “Unless you’re here to tell me he’ll be okay, and I _see_ that he will be, there’s no reason for you to stay.”

“Fine. If that’s what you want.” Frederic scoffed and got up, slamming the door on the way out.

Arianna watched him leave, then walked over to Rapunzel, not sitting next to her, instead keeping her distance. “I’m sorry.”

Rapunzel stayed quiet, looking back down to her journal.

“I should have spoken out. Not just now, there were so many times I wanted to make him stop, but I never said anything.” Arianna gripped her skirt. “He can be frightening when he’s angry, stubborn as well, but that’s not an excuse.”

Rapunzel looked up at her, anger no longer present. She moved over, letting her mother sit next to her. 

“How can I make it up to you?”

“You really want to know?” Rapunzel waited for her response, a nod, then spoke again. “Let my friends go. _All of them._ ”

Her mother smiled sadly, already knowing that was to be her request, and got up from her bed. “I’ll do what I can.”

Rapunzel smiled as she left, a small smile, but still present. The queen left quietly, going over where the guards would be positioned, the spots her husband would like to roam, the ones he favored when he was in a bad mood. She slipped through the corridors unnoticed for the most part, and those who did run into her thought nothing of it, didn’t expect an ulterior motive to her determined walk down the steps to the prisons below. She walked faster once she was there, almost running to where she knew they’d be held. The swift pace made it hurt even more when she ran into a large man going in the opposite direction.

“Shit! We’ve been...your highness?” Lance kneeled down to help her up, glancing over to Eugene, confused. 

“Ah, I came to break you out. It seems you beat me to it.” Arianna chuckled nervously.

“Picking locks is my specialty.” Eugene said proudly, before going into a more serious tone. “Do you know where Varian is being held?” 

Arianna thought back to the guards dragging him away, the king ordering dozens of guards to keep watch, not wanting to take any chances of his escape. “No.”

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!” Hookfoot yelled, getting immediately shushed by the other three. 

“We’ll break Blondie out first, then figure out a way to save him.” Eugene started walking again, making his way up the steps to the main floor. 

The others followed, the queen sticking to the front. Once they reached the door the queen stopped them. “Do you guys have a plan for getting to her room?”

“Well um...sneak?” Hookfoot joked.

Eugene rolled his eyes but smiled. “Actually, we do have a plan.”

* * *

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually missed being launched from a catapult.” Eugene said, sarcasm obvious in his tone.

Lance chuckled as he wound the wheel pulling him and Hookfoot back. “Try not to launch yourself in a wall this time. I don’t think the queen is as good a liar as I am.”

“Ha, so you admit it! You’re a liar--” Eugene’s gloating was cut off by the sudden launch of the catapult. He screamed in unison with Hookfoot, though they managed to land without a sound when they reached the tower.

* * *

“What are you doing back, miss?” Stan asked, watching the queen walk up to them.

“Oh, just checking in on my daughter.” Arianna said quickly, nervously.

“Again? Didn’t you two talk about an hour ago?” Pete raised an eyebrow.

“You know how Frederic can be, especially with the whole, um, execution thing going on. He insisted I check to see how she was doing, since I’m the only one she listens to right now.” The lies came easier the more she spoke, little half-truths spilling out the further she went.

Pete shrugged. “I suppose I can’t argue with that. How is the king doing anyway?” 

“Hm.” Arianna paused, taking a moment to think. “He’s quiet. Stared out the window for almost half an hour, refusing to say anything.”

“Ah.” Stan sighed. “Do you think killing the kid would put a stop to all the riots?”

Arianna winced. “It’s certainly...extravagant enough to freeze it for a while.”

“I’m not ok with it either, your highness. I know what the kid did was pretty bad but this,” Pete shuddered. “This is just excessive.”

Stan and Arianna patted him on the back, comforting him.

* * *

Eugene readied his crossbow, pointing it a few feet above the door out to her balcony. 

“You ready?” Eugene asked, gripping onto the rope.

“Nope. Not in any way whatsoever.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Eugene started to run back, building up momentum before swinging the both of them toward Rapunzel’s balcony. 

The rope swung slow this time around, simply going forward instead of whipping around the tower, much to their relief. They landed on the ground without so much as a crack in the cement. They took a moment to breathe before Eugene began tying the rope around Hookfoot’s ankle.

“I can see this is the extent of my usefulness.” Hookfoot grimaced as he placed his hook on the bars on the door.

“Your company’s worth a lot to us if that makes you feel any better?” Eugene shrugged, then tossed the rope down to Lance, who began to pull it.

“It most certainly does _not_ \--” Hookfoot managed to get out a few words against him before he went flying down along with the bars. Lance pulled out a cart filled to the brim with sacks of flower, which Hookfoot hit with a thud. 

Eugene slipped in through the door and looked around, checking to make sure no one else was there. “Sunshine?

Rapunzel smiled and ran to him, pulling him into a tight hug. “Eugene! I’m so glad you’re here!”

Eugene hugged her back tightly, then let go.

“How did you even make it in here?”

Eugene looked over to the door, the faint sound of crying and words of comfort could be heard through the crack. “Your mother was a big help in the distraction department.”

Rapunzel’s smile grew wider, she mumbled something to herself, then looked up to Eugene. “Let’s go save our friend.”

* * *

The cell was just as small as he remembered. A stone broom closet with bars instead of a wooden door. The chains around his wrists were thicker than the ones before, stronger as well, but they were rusted and cut into his wrists just the same as they had before. The security around his cell was more extensive than before, more extensive than necessary if he was honest. He didn’t have to look to know they were watching him, he could practically feel their burning glares. They’d confiscated any weapon he could have used, any hidden pocket emptied before he could even think to use them. There were no windows, no means of escape.

One of the guards, one with a sense of humor he supposed, banged on the bars, startling him. The man laughed, a malicious cackle that ringed in his ears, grabbed hold of any focus he had on escape. He glared at the man, to which he received one in return.

“Enough, David.” One of the other guards spoke to him, a higher ranking one. “He’s just a kid.”

“A kid who pissed off the king enough to get beheaded. You were _there_ for all those attacks to the royal family. The kid deserves it.” David said through laughter, only stopping when the guard slammed his fist against the wall.

“I said that’s _enough_.” 

Their argument was interrupted by a third guard, one with a key. He unlocked the cell and leaned down to match Varian’s height. “It’s time.” 

“Oh.” Varian spoke, the first thing he’d said since the king had dumped in there, a quick vocalization of his shock. It seemed they weren’t going to waste any time.

The man dragged him by his chains, short jerks to keep him moving at the same pace. Varian didn’t bother speaking against this, his focus entirely being on how he could get out, though the options he had were very few and hardly plausible. The only real option he had was to hope his friends broke out of their own prisons and saved his ass. He didn’t doubt they were capable of doing so, as they’d done similar things in the past, but he didn’t know if they’d make it in time, or if they’d bother to show up at all.

They stopped without warning. Varian looked up from the ground, pulled from his thoughts by the tall wooden contraption responsible for his inevitable demise, the shine of the blade that would sever his head blinded him. 

“Any last words, kid?” 

“Freddy can eat shit.” Anger and frustration leaked from his voice, a strong contrast to his shaking hands. 

The man sighed and pushed the kid down,to which he received a glare. Varian looked down, not wanting to see the preparation, the hypnotized stares of the crowd, the raising of the rope before a blade would come swinging down onto his head. He shut his eyes tight, waiting for that exact moment. The wait seemed agonizingly long, yet as he counted the seconds, listening to the quiet chatter of the onlookers, it was all too short for him. He could hear the sound of the rope stop, and waited patiently for the burning pain that would inevitably come. He was right, they weren’t going to make it. 

Shouting could be heard from the back of the crowd, one singular scream standing out from them. He could feel something swinging above him, something different from the shining blade. The rope dropped, and yet, nothing hit him, instead he could hear metal shattering above him. He opened his eyes.

“Varian!” Rapunzel shouted, letting down her hair and sending it forward, slipping through the guillotine right before the blade came swinging down. She let out a sigh of relief as it shattered, then started running to the podium, Lance, Eugene, and Hookfoot following closely behind. 

Rapunzel hopped up and turned to the crowd. “How can you be ok with this?!” 

Her shouts rang throughout the courtyard, silence being the only response. Eugene slipped past her and helped Varian out, watching cautiously as the guards around them started to close in.

“He’s a child! And you’re just going to let him die! And what for?” Tears started flowing, but she ignored them. “He spoke out against the exact same thing you speak against now! Those rocks are coming for us and we don’t know if they’re going to stop. We don’t know what they’re going to do! But I do know this. My father won’t do _anything_ about them until they’re laying siege to the castle. He’s not going to do anything, so it’s up to us!”

The silence of the crowd grew to murmurs, then to shouts. The guard, which seemed unnecessary at the time, now panicked to hold back the rioting civilians. Guards closed around Rapunzel and her friends trying to keep them quiet, but it was already too late.

“Call for reinforcements!” The Captain called out to his men. A few of them nodded and retreated while the others stayed to fight.

The crowd overwhelmed them, surging onto the podium, shouting as they went. Rapunzel kept her friends close to her, closing in on the captain, prepared to call him out personally as well. 

“Enough, all of you!” At the sound of his voice, the crowd was silenced, they turned to where it came from. The king glared daggers into his subjects’ eyes, a hoard of guards surrounding him. “Rapunzel you will come here at once!”

Rapunzel’s usually smiling demeanor was no longer present as she made her way through the crowd. Her hands were balled into fists. She looked up to him, matching his glare with a similar vigor. 

“What were you thinking?! Breaking out of your room, letting that _brat_ live,” Frederic spat out his anger. “Starting this-- what is this? A revolution?!” 

“Maybe it is.” 

“Well I believe this is finished. You’re going back to your room and I,” He sighed. “I will sort this out.”

“No.”

“What was that?” 

“I said _no!_ ” The shout rang through the crowd, her hair glowing in response to her anger. 

They stared at her with blind amazement, watching as the light from her hair swarmed the city, shattering the rocks nearby. Panicked screams started to grow, confusion and terror alike could be heard from the citizens. Rapunzel took a moment to watch the rocks crumble before regaining her composure.

“I’m the key to figuring out the rocks! It’s my job to fix this issue and there is _nothing_ you can do to stop me.” The crowd started to quiet down when she spoke again.

“Enough, Rapunzel! This is over.” Frederic shouted much louder than he intended to, though he no longer seemed to care.

“No!" She took a second to breathe, then spoke again. "I won’t stop. For every minute of the rest of my life, I will _fight._ I will fight for my people, and I will fight against _you._ ” With her words, the rioting began a new, chaos that the guard could no longer hold back.

Rapunzel’s friends ran up to join her, pushing through the crowd and punching the occasional guard on their way. Eugene was the first to reach her, Lance and Varian following close behind. Hookfoot stayed in the crowd, cackling as he punched one of the guards, knocking the man over. 

“Sunshine!” Eugene hugged her quickly, before getting back to the fight, helping her take down the guards around the king. 

“Hey Hairstripe, are you sure you don’t wanna hang back--” Lance started to say, though he stopped when Varian kicked one of the guards in the stomach. “When did you learn how to fight?”

“You don’t know everything about me.” Varian shrugged and ducked down, barely missing one of the men’s punches. 

Rapunzel whipped her hair around one of the guards, then threw the man into the one next to him, apologizing as she did so. She fought her way through them all, Eugene beside her. The king tried to escape, slipping past the army keeping him protected and making his way back into the castle. He didn’t make it, a part of Rapunzel’s hair whirling around his wrist and tugging him back. She pulled her hair back to her slowly, stopping once he was within a few feet of her. 

“ _Now_ it’s over.” She tugged him toward her, moving him in front of her and showing him off to the crowd. “All of you stand down! You’ve lost!”

The guards looked to each other, contemplating their next move. The Captain slowly lowered his sword, the others followed after that. She sighed, taking a moment to breathe, then made her way back to the crowd. They stood silently, waiting to see what she would do. Rapunzel looked to one of the guards.

“Eugene, think you could get me some cuffs?”

“Of course, Blondie.” Eugene bowed dramatically and smiled. He looked over to the guard and swiped the handcuffs from his belt, then handed them to Rapunzel.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Frederic fought against her grip as she clicked the cuffs onto his wrists.

“Collecting my birthright early.” Rapunzel’s smile returned at the click of the lock.

Varian made his way through the crowd, hands behind his back, a mischievous smile on his face. He stopped in front of the both of them and bowed. “I have something I’d like to do, if I may, your highness?”

“You shall.” Rapunzel chuckled.

“Thank you.” Varian stood up, looked the king in the eyes, and kicked him in the balls. “ _That’s_ for trying to kill me, jackass.”

Lance laughed loudly, tears flowing down his face as the king crumpled down in pain. Eugene started laughing as well, leaning against Lance for support. Rapunzel shook her head, laughing quietly to herself at a volume only her father could hear. 

“So,” Eugene walked up to his girlfriend, kissing her quickly before resuming his sentence. “What now?”

“I’m not sure exactly, I’ve been playing it by ear ever since we broke out of my room.” Rapunzel chuckled nervously. “Though, I have a few ideas.” 

Eugene smiled. “That’s my girl.”

“To start off with, I believe my father should be given the same courtesy he’s given his subjects over the years.” 

Lance and Eugene helped move the king to his new cell, one small and cramped, the smell of mold on the ceiling able to be smelled from five cells down. A group of three men in the cell across from him snickered and waved, receiving a heavy sigh in response. 

“I believe some changes need to be made to the guard, starting with the leadership. We need someone with compassion, someone who’s good with people, who knows how to bring the best out of everyone.” Rapunzel looked to Lance and smiled. “And I believe I know someone who would be perfect for the job.”

Lance tugged at the uniform, bright red and white with gold accents, the symbol of the sun on his chest. He looked in the mirror nervously, uncertain about both the outfit and the responsibility that came with it. Rapunzel walked up to him, looking in the mirror as well, one hand on his shoulder, and smiled. He stood up straighter and smiled as well.

“Varian, I seem to remember a certain promise I never fulfilled.” She tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “You and I are going to figure out these black rocks.” 

Varian stared holes through the words on the scroll, rubbing his hands on his temples and muttering to himself. He was pulled from his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder, Rapunzel, holding a mug of cocoa in her hand. She offered it to him, an offer which he gladly accepted, then began rambling about his recent findings, smiles on both their faces.

“What about me?” Eugene asked nervously, quietly, not sure if he should have said anything at all.

“I saved the best for last, of course.” She rolled her eyes and smirked. “You’re my partner in crime, my right-hand man. I couldn’t have done any of this without you by my side.”

Eugene pushed her hair behind her ear, leaving his hand on her face. “I love you, Sunshine.”

“I love you too, G-bug.”

“G-bug?” Lance asked through snickers.

“What? I wanted to give him a nickname too.” Rapunzel pouted.

“No, no it’s great.” Varian wheezed. “How’s it feel being king, G-Bug?”

“I hate all of you.” Eugene groaned. “Except you, of course, Blondie. Though that nickname is _awful._ ”

Rapunzel shook her head and smiled. “Well, anyway, I have something very important to do before all that.”

“And what’s that?”

She looked to Varian. “Help a friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My boyfriend convinced me to add a guillotine to this because he thought it didn't have enough 'flair'. I'm so sorry(not really though I ADORE execution methods, even if that is an odd thing to like). As for what's going to happen next, the next chapter's more of an aftermath thing, dealing with the whole Cassandra Betraying Us thing, and also Quirin. See y'all next week! :))


	3. Chapter 3

Rapunzel sighed as her father was led away to the dungeons, she looked away, not wanting to see his face, his anger, his resentment toward her. Instead, she smiled, laughed along with the citizens as they celebrated their victory, waiting patiently for her friends to return. 

“Heya Blondie.” Eugene slid his hand across his shoulder, leaning against her slightly. “I know that was hard for you, sending him off like that.”

“I’ll be ok. Besides,” She took a deep breath in and put on her best smile. “We’ve got more important things to worry about.”

She helped pull Lance and Varian out of the crowd of people, leading them all back to the balloon. Lance and Eugene talked amongst themselves, snickering and joking as the balloon started to rise. Rapunzel volunteered to run it for their trip, happy for a distraction. She didn’t have time to focus on...any of that. She had a goal, an objective to complete. Everything else would just have to wait.

She pulled herself from her work for a moment, glancing over to Varian. He leaned against the balloon’s wall staring ahead of them, a look in his eye that she recognized immediately, related to, at the moment. She stood beside him, mirroring him. 

“Are you ok?” 

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah I’m doing great. I almost died, but, hey, that happens a lot at this point.”

She frowned. “What happened today was pretty messed up, way outside our usual antics.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s messing with you, all of this. You don’t have to hide it.”

“Hypocrite.”

“Yeah, yeah I know.” Rapunzel ran her hands through her hair and sighed. “I’m a lot better at dishing out advice than I am at taking it. But still, you can talk to me, if you need it.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Rapunzel. That means a lot.”

She smiled back at him, almost not noticing the sudden flare of the balloon’s engine from behind her. She yelped in surprise, leaping over to it and fixing the issue. Varian shook his head, still smiling, then looked back out at the landscape ahead of him. His smile fell.

“It looks...a lot worse than before.” Varian sucked in a breath, looking down at his home, his village, now completely blackened by the rocks that had been invading it for over a year. 

The others stayed silent, not quite sure what to say. Rapunzel let the balloon float down, landing with a soft thud, and helped the others out. They stayed there for a moment, taking it all in, the mountain of rocks blocking their path to his lab towering over them, taunting them, challenging them, the first trial of many in bringing his father back. 

“Varian and I will find a way in, you guys stay outside and wait for us.” Rapunzel spoke finally, pulling them out of their trance. She grabbed Varian’s hand and searched for a way in.

“Rapunzel,” Varian said quietly, sliding and squeezing through the rocks. “Do you really think this will work?”

“I do,” Rapunzel spoke with determination, the anger that had been ever-present that day still remaining, though no longer directed at her father, instead focused solely on the objective at hand. “And if it doesn’t, we’ll just find something else.”

“But what else do we _have?_ After your hair didn’t work, I thought I didn’t have anything else. And then this incantation comes out of nowhere and we don’t know how it works or what it’ll do to the amber or to us or my father or--”

“Varian.” Rapunzel stopped, turning around and pressing her hands into his shoulders. “We’ve got this! So stop worrying, ok?”

“Ok.”

She smiled and let him go, focusing back on finding a way out. They slipped back into that comfortable silence, squeezing and crawling past the rocks, the tips of a few would scratch and pull at their clothes, trying to keep them from their goal, but they were determined, they pulled harder, yanking themselves off the rocks and pushing past it. After what felt like hours, they made it out, nothing in their way except the door in front of them. Rapunzel took in a deep breath and pushed the door open.

It felt like a time capsule. Everything about the kingdom had changed, the houses, the landscape, the _people_ , and yet, in his house, his lab, nothing had changed, it was stuck, trapped in a single day, the worst day of his life. It hurt, being there again, more than it had hurt in the mansion. This wasn’t an illusion, it was _real._ His father was really there, really trapped, barely alive. Chemicals, chains, and papers scattered themselves across the floor, covered in dust.

“Rapunzel is it-- is it ok if I” His voice was scratchy, it was hard for him to get anything out, but he tried anyway. “I want to be the one to do it.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

He walked toward the amber, slowly, shakily, and placed his bare hands onto its surface, shut his eyes, and began to recite the incantation.

_Wither and decay_

The reaction was instantaneous, a sizzle came from his hands, a sticky, syrup-like substance dripping down to the stone floor. 

_End this destiny_

The liquid started to pour, the incantation infecting the rest of the amber like a virus, seeping into every bit of it, a blue light pulsing throughout like a large heart at the lab’s center. Rapunzel pulled herself from her own amazement, focusing instead on Varian. He stood there, showing no emotion to his perceived success, eyes blank and black, hands pressed firmly against the amber.

_Break these earthly chains_

She heard a desperate gasp from above her, followed by a series of coughs. Excitement welled up inside her, a breathy laugh escaping her lips, she had to stop herself from pulling Varian into a tight hug. It wasn’t over yet.

_And set the spirit free_

His father opened his eyes, blinking them open and glancing down. “...Varian?”

Rapunzel stopped his hand as he reached out. “Wait, just a minute more.”

Quirin frowned and let his hand fall back to his side, staring down at his son, not sure exactly what he felt. Was it shock, amazement, fear? A small tear fell down his son’s face as his hands dropped down to his sides. Quirin fell down to his knees after the last piece of amber melted from his legs, he started gasping for air, coughing and wheezing out short breaths. Rapunzel let out a shaky breath of her own and turned back to her friend.

“Alright, let’s snap you out of it.” She smiled nervously, taking a bucket of water nearby and splashing it on his face. He didn’t stop. “...Varian?”

“Varian, come on snap out of it.” Her smile wavered, she glanced between him and his father. Quirin leaned his back against the remaining amber, hardly conscious, hardly breathing. “Varian _please._ ”

He didn’t meet her in the eyes, instead staring blankly at seemingly nothing, unaware of anything. Rapunzel started to tear up. “Varian, please. I’m not giving up on you.”

She took his hands despite herself, not even noticing the lack of effect it had on her. “I’m not going to leave you, never again. We have to figure this out, together. Just...please, come back.”

She started to cry, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m not going to leave you so _please_...don’t leave me.” 

A small gasp sounded next to her, Varian’s legs gave out from under him. Rapunzel caught him, letting them both fall slowly to the ground. He blinked his eyes a few times, looking up at her. “...Did it work?”

She laughed through her tears, hugging him again quickly before letting him go. “See for yourself.” 

He took a second to process what she had said, turning his head to the amber. His father was there, alive, breathing, currently trying to push himself up. Any energy he lost came back to him in an instant, his eyes went wide, he ran to him, knocking the man back down in his embrace. Quirin was shocked, at first, but slowly returned the hug, holding his son tightly.

“You’re back! You’re alive, you’re ok.” Tears flowed down his face, dripping onto his father’s shirt. He let go, slowly, letting his hands fall down to his father’s arms. His eyes fell to a piece of paper on the ground, a simple piece of paper, something that would be worthless to anyone else, yet it had consumed his every waking thought for months on end. “Dad, what-- what is it you wanted to say to me, in the letter?”

“Son I…” He sighed. “There’s... a lot that I haven’t told you. I lied to myself, said that you just weren’t ready for that kind of information. I was a coward. It wasn’t that you weren’t ready to learn, I wasn’t ready to tell you.”

Varian smiled. “I think I already know.”

“Yes, I see you’ve been made aware of your connection to the moonstone, but that isn’t everything. I had a whole life before coming here, one I abandoned after leading our people here. Friends-- no, family I left behind in an effort to forget one of my biggest mistakes. Son I--”

“It’s ok, dad. Adira and Hector are good people. A bit...eccentric, but they’re great. They miss you as well, you know.” 

Quirin looked down at the floor. “I thought they’d hate me.”

“I don’t think they could even if they tried.” Varian pulled him back into another hug, one just as tight as the one before. He let go again, slower than last time, then stood up. Rapunzel walked behind them, putting a small hand on his shoulder.

“Are you ready to go?” 

“Yeah.” Varian sighed and helped his father up, leading him outside the house. Rapunzel took to the front of their group, taking them back through their way of entry. 

Quirin looked around. “I don’t remember it being like this.”

“Things have gotten...a little worse, while you were…” Varian started to explain, but stopped halfway through, unable to complete his thought, though the end was assumed.

Quirin had more trouble than them, fitting through the tight passageways of the rocks. His exhaustion was a problem by itself, not including his size. He could tell plenty of time had passed, yet he still towered above the both of them. Varian, he was always so small...

Quirin shielded his eyes at the bright light ahead of him, the exit was in sight. Rapunzel ran ahead, pulling Varian out with her. Two men were already outside waiting for them, they pulled the two into a tight hug.

“You really did it, kid.” Eugene said as he ruffled Varian’s hair.

“Of course he did, didn’t doubt it for a second.” Lance smiled.

Rapunzel was the one to end the hug, shockingly enough. She looked over to Quirin, then back to her friends. “So!” She clapped her hands together. “What’s the plan for picking up the brotherhood?”

“Well we need a group to stay here with Quirin,” Eugene started to say, ignoring the venom in his voice when he spoke the man’s name. “And a group to go to the Dark Kingdom.”

Lance raised his hand. “Mark me down for another road trip!” 

“Really?” Eugene tilted his head, confused. “I thought after that... embarrassment you’d want to stay as far away from Adira as possible.”

“Embarrassment?” Quirin walked over to the group.

“Lance got rejected.” Varian said in a sing-song voice, getting a glare from Lance as he did so.

Quirin laughed loudly, holding himself. “I hope she didn’t hurt you too bad.”

“Only my pride.” Lance sighed.

“Hey Varian.” Eugene turned over to Varian.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you could go with him?” 

“What?” 

“Me and Blondie will stay here, catch him up to present. You two can go pick up the brotherhood.” Eugene noticed Varian’s discomfort with the idea. “Besides, wouldn’t you want to tell them what happened yourself?”

“Well, yeah but-- he’s my dad. I have to stay.” Varian spoke quietly, not wanting his father to overhear as the man spoke with Lance.

“We have to tell him what happened, kid. I don’t want you to be there for that.” 

Varian sucked in a breath, eyes going wide. “Oh.”

Eugene hugged him quickly before rejoining the others. Quirin watched as his son waved goodbye, joining with the other man, Lance, his name was, and preparing to fly. He looked back to the other two, one with an awkward smile, hands behind her back, the other glaring daggers through his skull. 

“So,” He began to say, not sure exactly why they were the ones staying behind. “What happened, while I was...out?”

“Well...a lot! A lot definitely happened!” Rapunzel laughed nervously. She sighed. “What was the last thing you remember?”

“Varian ran off to get help. He was gone for at least a few hours, so the last thing I saw was the amber encasing me.” 

“I’m really sorry that happened, Quirin.” 

“You don’t need to apologize, princess. Varian put himself into unnecessary amounts of danger, this sort of thing was inevitable.” 

He noticed their rise in anger at his statement, Eugene uncrossing his arms and preparing to speak. Rapunzel stopped him, putting her hand on his shoulder, a silent plea to wait. He listened, begrudgingly, and let her speak instead.

“We ignored the black rocks, and the effect it had on our people. He only did it because he felt like he had to.” The anger in her voice was hard to hide, though it became easier the more she said. She took in a deep breath, and moved on. “He came to me, during the blizzard. He begged me to come and help. I had to refuse, our kingdom was in a state of emergency with that storm. I don’t regret that decision, though the ones after that, regret more.”

Quirin stayed silent as she spoke, observing her reactions to what she was saying, as well as Eugene’s. He could tell they were leading him into something, something he wouldn’t agree with. 

“After the storm, rumors started to spread. I don’t know how exactly, but it was thought that when he came to me for help, he attacked me instead.” Rapunzel’s hands balled into fists as she spoke, the anger, while no longer directed at him, grew. “Because of these rumors, as well as the piece of the scroll he had obtained, my father sent a hoard of guards after him.”

“The scroll? How did he--”

“Why is _that_ thing the thing that--” Eugene started to say. He stopped himself, letting out a shaky sigh before letting Rapunzel continue to speak. 

“This continued for three months before I was made aware of it, and I put a stop to it as soon as I knew. Though by then, the damage had already been done.” 

“...What did he do?”

“As you may already know, the sundrop is the antithesis of the moonstone. He thought that by acquiring it, he could cancel out the effects of the amber. He went after the flower first, and when that didn’t work he...he went after me instead.”

Quirin stayed silent, somber. It almost scared them more, his lack of reaction. Rapunzel observed it warily before continuing.

“He kidnapped my mother. Used her as bait to lure me and my father to Old Corona so I’d have no choice but to help him. And when it didn’t work...he lashed out. Almost killed my mom and...” Rapunzel refused to finish the sentence, though Eugene was aware of the space that was left unfilled.

“He attacked you.” Quirin’s voice raised ever so slightly in volume. “He attacked the queen.”

* * *

Lance leaned on the wall of the balloon, looking down Old Corona as they flew away from it. He frowned and looked away, focusing instead on Varian. He was entirely focused on his work, pulling and messing with the levers and ropes. It didn’t take an expert to know that level of focus wasn’t needed. 

“You good kid?” 

“Hm? Yeah.” Varian answered absent-mindedly as he fiddled with the levers and ropes.

Lance went quiet again, not quite sure what to say, what to ask about. He didn’t know what was bothering the kid, or if all of it was, how exactly he could get him to talk. He walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Varian.”

“What?” Frustration was present in his voice, leaking out as he gripped the lever with shaking hands. 

Lance let go of him. “Can you tell me what’s bothering you?”

Varian rolled his eyes and went back to his work. “Nothing’s bothering me.”

He looked at the engine, then to Varian. “You’ve been messing with that rope for twenty minutes now.”

Varian coughed and let his hands drop. “So I have. What of it?”

“Please, kid.”

“There’s nothing wrong, Lance. My dad’s back, we just overthrew the fucking government. I couldn’t be happier.” 

“You’re not.” 

“Do we have to do this now? Could it not wait till after all this gets worked out?” Varian glared at him, silently pleading for him to drop the subject.

Lance shrugged. “It’ll be a while before we reach the Dark Kingdom, and that engine doesn’t need as much attention as you’re giving it.” At his lack of response, Lance spoke again. “Is it about the whole uh...execution thing?”

“No. Well I mean-- I guess, it was pretty fucked up but-- well I,” He sighed. “I’m just really not looking forward to the lecture I’m going to receive when we get back.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Varian bit his lip. “Well, Eugene said they were going to tell him what all happened while he was...y’know, and that would include all the bullshit I did and--”

“You think he’s going to be pissed.” 

“Pissed is an understatement. You haven’t seen my dad when he’s angry. I mean, he gets mad if I don’t address my superiors properly, how do you think he’s going to react when he finds out I kidnapped the king’s fucking _wife?!_ ” 

“Yikes, yeah that might not blow over so well.” Lance glanced to the side, rubbing his hand on his neck. His words weren’t a comfort, they were the opposite, in fact, only contributing to Varian’s state of panic.

“Exactly! This is probably the third death sentence I’ve gotten in the past year and I don’t know if I’ll be able to get out of this one.”

“You’re not going to die, kid.” 

“I just might! I’m like a stick compared to him, he could crush me with his bare hands without even trying, and considering everything I’ve done, he might actually try! And since Eugene insisted I go with you to the Dark Kingdom, it’s just going to leave him more time to stew in his own anger and he’ll be even more pissed than if I had just outright told him I tried to kill the princess. He’s going to snap me like a twig and dump my body in the river and the townspeople will let him get away with it because they’ve wanted me dead for years, they might even throw a fucking _celebration_ in honor of my death and--”

“Varian!” Lance yelled quickly to get his attention, then spoke again, a softer tone. “I need you to breathe, ok? In and out, just copy me.”

Varian nodded and squeezed his eyes shut, taking sharp, shaking breaths which slowed over time. Once he had calmed down enough, he opened his eyes again. Lance smiled.

“Are you ok?” 

“Better, yeah.” Varian responded quietly.

“Ok, let’s step back a bit. Eugene and Rapunzel are telling him what happened, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“So it’ll be fine. Eugene’s good with people, he talked me out of doing a lot of stupid shit, I’m sure he can get through your dad’s thick skull if he could manage to get through mine. And if Eugene gets too antagonistic, Rapunzel will keep them from killing each other.” Lance smiled at Varian’s response, quick, quiet laughter, and kept talking. “They’ll figure it out, so don’t worry, ok?”

Varian sighed and smiled. “I always worry, but I’ll try my best.” 

“Good enough for me!” Lance clapped his hands together, satisfied with how the conversation went. He looked ahead of him, noticing the balloon starting to fall. “Oh uh. I guess you did need to focus on the engine, huh?”

“Shit!” Varian noticed the balloon’s change in direction as well and scrambled to fix it.

* * *

“He held the queen hostage and attacked the royal family.” Quirin’s anger grew to match theirs, no longer staying quiet. 

“Well, yes, but--”

“Blondie, I’ll take over now.” Eugene gave her a reassuring smile before it turned sour. “What he did was fucked up, I’m not going to deny that, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“Nothing we can-- how do I know there’s nothing we can do if you’ve neglected to tell me the extent of his crimes!” 

“Ah. Sucks doesn’t it. Not having all the facts. Tell me, to what lengths would you go to obtain this information? If it’s that important to you, are you willing to set a few things aside to find out?” Eugene glared at him as he spoke, taking satisfaction at the man’s shocked reaction.

Rapunzel put her hand on his arm. “Eugene, really I don’t think this is--” 

“Oh no he needs to hear this. If anything needs to be _done_ about this situation, it’s fixing your shitty excuse at parenting.” Eugene crossed his arms yet again, anger present, while mixed in with a devilish smile. 

“What gives you the right to make those sorts of accusations?” Quirin towered over him, speaking in a low, intimidating voice, Eugene didn’t falter.

“Oh well, the year we’ve spent living in the same shitty caravan gave me some _real_ insight on all this, I’m rather well informed on the subject, despite what you might think. Would you like an itemized list of concerns? I’d be oh so happy to give you one.” Eugene waited for a response, a rebuttal, the only thing he received was a menacing glare. 

Rapunzel stayed quiet, watching as the two sized each other up, silent challenges given at certain words, phrases, insults and jeers that were personal only to them, despite not knowing each other. Eugene was leaning down as he looked up to him, a relaxed position to show he wasn’t fazed by Quirin’s efforts to intimidate him into silence, which only frustrated the man more.

“Well, to start off with, he works himself to the point of exhaustion, focusing so heavily on whatever project he’s assigned himself, experimental and research-based alike, and ignores any basic needs a human would have until it’s finished. He acts like any simple act of kindness toward him is worth its weight in gold, and after being given said kindness, he tries to pay it back more than it's worth, that being nothing. He’s so desperate for our approval, even when he really doesn’t need it from us, that he’ll go far out of his way to do things for us, even when he’s already proven himself to be far less of an asshole then we first thought.” Eugene straightened himself up and looked the man in the eyes. “Now, care to tell me why that is? Or should I start with the accusations?”

“He’s always done that sort of thing! It’s not something I taught him. What I’m more concerned about is the list of crimes he now has on his head because he was too stubborn to listen!” 

“Is that all you care about? What he’s done wrong? Does it not bother you that the king which you trust oh so much persecuted your son simply for having too much information at his disposal? As his father, would your first concern not be his safety, and not his reactions to that being taken away?” Eugene stepped closer to him, just inches away from his face. 

“I don’t care _why_ he did it, he still--”

“He did it for you!” Eugene yelled, making the man take a few steps back, the three stayed silent for a moment before Eugene spoke again. “Not that you deserve it.”

* * *

“We’re back!” Lance exclaimed as the Dark Kingdom laid in his sights. “It feels like we just left, and now we’re back.”

“That’s because we _did_ just leave dipshit.” Varian chuckled as he pulled one of the levers, lowering the balloon to the ground. “How are you going to handle the whole uh...Adira, situation?”

“Oh! With class, naturally.” Lance smiled as the ground was only a few feet below him. He hopped off and waved to the people nearby. “Hello Dark Kingdom citizens! Your fearless Lance has returned!”

Varian rolled his eyes as he landed the balloon, then jumped out of it himself, joining with Lance. The man took a deep bow once he was within a few feet of Adira, smiling all the while.

“Oh god he hasn’t stopped.” Adira groaned.

“Actually, I have. Adira,” Lance began, raising himself back up from his bow. “While I still think you’re a solid 10--”

“I’m an 11, but continue.” 

“While you are most certainly amazing in every possible way, I respect your um... lack of availability--”

“You can say it. It won’t hurt you.” She smiled, finding his awkward apology amusing.

“I respect that you don’t like men, and apologize if any of my advances made you uncomfortable, and will refrain from doing so in the future.”

“That actually wasn’t terrible.” Varian said, a little shocked.

“Indeed it wasn’t. I accept your apology, now to move on to other matters. Hector! Madeline!” Adira called behind her. Two figures emerged from behind the rocks. 

“Ah, I see you’re back. Is he still?--” Hector raised an eyebrow at Lance.

“No, actually. I am no longer being pursued.” Adira nodded, a small smile on her face.

“Good, now you can focus on someone else--” Hector started to say, before getting an elbow to the stomach. “Yeah, I deserved that.”

“I trust everything went smoothly?” Madeline cut in between them, silencing their conversation before it could go any further.

“As smoothly as overthrowing the monarchy could go, I suppose.” Varian shrugged.

“You did _what?_ ” The three responded in unison, all with varying amounts of excitement and terror.

“Oh yeah. Viva la revolution and all that, it was pretty cool. I kicked the king in the balls.” Varian said proudly, to which Lance responded with a snicker.

“Nice.” Adira smiled, then dropped her joking tone. “And Quirin?”

Varian’s smile only grew, a wide grin on his face. “It worked!” He said louder than he first intended. “It worked. Which is cool, except for the fact that I’m going to hide in the balloon for the remainder of my life, because he’s going to end it--”

Lance cleared his throat. “No, no he’s not.” 

“With his unbreakable moral code, I wouldn’t doubt it.” Adira spoke without thinking. Varian buried his face in his hands, mumbling panicked things to himself. “Oh. I mean-- No, no it’ll be...ok? Yep. It’ll all work out.”

“You’re...really bad at this.” Madeline snickered, giving Varian a few pats on the back. “Well, we’re wasting time staying here aren’t we?”

Varian sighed. “Yeah that was...kind of the idea.” He dragged his hands down his face and turned around, jumping over the basket. “Welp! Somebody start playing the death march because this thing’s headed to Old Corona!”

“Varian I’m actually begging you to-- oh never mind” Lance sighed and got inside the balloon as well, holding the basket’s door open for the others.

* * *

Quirin stayed silent, anger bubbling and boiling inside him, leaking out in his stance, his eyes. His hands, balling themselves into fists, shook violently, knuckles a burning hot white. Rapunzel started to back away at the sight of this anger, taking Eugene’s hand, begging him to stop before he pushes the man any further. The silence ended as quickly as it began, Quirin’s anger barrelling out in a roar.

“How _dare_ you.” He hissed, voice low and loud. “How dare you act as if you know my own son more than I do. You hardly know him! You’re brushing aside acts of treason as though they were nothing, simply because you think I’m the one at fault!”

“But you are--”

“No!” Quirin’s voice raised for but a moment, making Eugene’s mouth slam shut. “I’ve stood by and listened to your baseless accusations, I’ve shown immense patience in dealing with your lack of _respect_ , but I’m at my limit. You have no experience in dealing with children. You have no _right_ to criticize me when you don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“What, so the year we’ve been dealing with him means jack shit? I don’t know about you but being stuck in a box on wheels with someone for that long, you get to know a lot about them. So I’ll criticize you as much as I see fit, and you’ll just have to deal with it. Or is that too much for you to handle?” Eugene's anger rose to match his, his glare contrasted by the ever-present smirk on his face.

“I don’t care how much time you spent with him, or whatever it is that concerns you. But if you start to think, for even a _second_ , that I would _ever_ hurt him, _that’s_ when I’ll start to get mad.” Quirin pointed his finger at him, poking the man’s shoulder aggressively at every emphasized word. “He’s my son. I do this because I love him.”

“You don’t love him!” Rapunzel shouted from behind, making the both of them stop in their tracks. “You never did.”

“ _What?_ ”

Rapunzel jumped at his words, tears in her eyes, her hands shaking, but she spoke despite that. “It may seem like what you’re doing to him is what you have to do, but it’s not. What you’re doing isn’t helping him! Silencing him, keeping him in the dark, undermining him at every turn, that’s not what people do to the ones they love!”

Quirin’s anger diverted from Eugene, focused entirely on the princess. 

“He has no ground to stand on! You can’t treat him like a child, and expect him to act like an adult! You put overwhelming amounts of pressure on him, a bar so high he could never even dream of reaching it, then act as if he’s disappointed you somehow by not being able to meet your impossible expectations!” Tears started to flow as her voice raised in volume, anger, sadness, and fear all melding into one emotion, making it hard for her to get anything out, yet she kept going. “What even is he to you?!”

“He’s my _son!_ ”

“So what?! That means nothing to me! When you were free from the amber I thought that maybe, _maybe_ deep down you actually cared for him. That despite what he may have done, you’d look past it. He isn’t just an amalgamation of his past mistakes, he’s a person! Someone you drove to make awful choices, all so he could bring you back.” Rapunzel raised herself up to meet him in the eyes, a familiar determination about her despite her fear. 

Eugene stayed silent, watching her wet anger pour out of her like an endless stream. A few simple words and the dam keeping her quiet crumbled to nothing. Quirin went silent again, though he no longer needed words to express his anger. 

“When Varian gets back, you’re forbidden from speaking to him.” Her once wide eyes turned to icy slits, challenging him to speak against her.

“What?! But he’s--”

“As your queen, I _demand_ you never speak to him again.” 

Quirin’s eyes went wide, shocked she’d even think to propose such a thing. He took a moment to process the order, before relenting. He didn’t speak, not making any vocalization of agreement, instead hanging his head low and turning back to his house, adding distance between them.

Eugene looked to Rapunzel, taking her hands. “Well, that went well.”

She plopped her head onto his chest, crying softly.

* * *

“So, um, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did you want to confront my dad about?” Varian leaned his head away from the engine, glancing in Adira’s direction.

“Many things, though his attempt at forgetting us entirely is at the top of my list.” Adira remarked, looking ahead of them and taking note of the landmarks she recognized.

“Well he did try to tell me when he got out of the amber! If that-- if that helps at all.” Varian chuckled nervously, returning to fiddling with the ropes and levers.

“Of course the only thing to change Quirin’s mind on something would be a near-death experience.” Adira scoffed and rolled her eyes, though she apologized at Varian’s responding wince. 

“I still can’t wrap my head around him being-- what, a farmer?” Hector laughed to himself. “I mean, who’d wanna give this up?”

“Oh yes, I’m sure he envies you, the man who I once saw sleeping in a nest of garbage like a baby in a cradle.” Adira stuck her tongue out at him, receiving a glare in return.

“I thought we agreed never to speak of that, sister.” 

“I never agreed to anything. Besides, I still have plenty of highlights at my disposal that I’d be very happy to speak about if you’d rather have that.” She raised an eyebrow as she spoke, tilting her head to the side and smiling at his growing frustration. The others watched intently, Madeline shaking her head and sighing the further they went.

“If you even _think_ about saying that I’ll have your head--”

“Oh wow look at that!” Varian cut in. “We’re almost there.”

The brotherhood turned to look ahead of them, staring at Old Corona, now blanketed in black rocks. Hector chuckled. “Looks like home.” 

Lance looked to Varian instead, who kept fiddling with the engine with shaking hands. He sighed and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, kid. You have to stop worrying about this.”

“Sorry, Lance but worrying is kind of my thing so-- so you’ll just have to deal with it.” Varian’s voice shook along with his hands, nervous laughs breaking in every now and then. 

The brotherhood turned back to face him, now made aware of Varian’s growing anxiety. Madeline walked toward him, standing by Lance and leaning down to his height, a worried look in her eye. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yup! I’m doing great! Just mentally writing my will.” 

“I get that you’re nervous, kid, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ve received an...extensive amount of lectures from him, and yeah they suck, but eventually, he’ll cool off and move on from it. Like ripping off a bandaid.” Hector shrugged and smiled, offering what little condolences he had at his disposal.

“If that bandaid is attached to an amputated arm then sure, the metaphor works well enough.” Varian shrunk in on himself as Hector and Adira walked toward him as well, their looks of concern mirroring the other two.

“What do you mean?” Adira asked softly.

“Oh well- well I-- I-- You know what? It’s fine. It doesn’t matter, so let’s just go ahead and get this over with.” 

“No, no now you have to explain it.” Hector’s concern only grew, along with the others.

“Can’t. Contrary to popular belief, I actually need to be somewhat paying attention to fly this thing, which, by the way, if you could all stop crowding around me that would be nice.” 

They complied, stepping out of the way so he could see, though they did not set aside their concern. Varian let out a sigh of relief when they remained silent, and returned to flying the balloon. Hector, being the more impatient of the bunch, was the first to speak.

“So are you actually not gonna tell us or--”

“No! I’m not going to tell you!” Varian groaned and slumped his shoulders, leaning his head against one of the levers and whispering to himself. “What is it with everyone today?”

“We just care about you kid.” Lance patted his back, startling him slightly.

Varian sighed. “Do you...remember what I said earlier today? About the people in Old Corona?”

“...Yeah? You said they wanted you dead. You didn’t mean that seriously did you?”

“I can assure you my fears are warranted. The only reason they haven’t tried anything is because of my dad but after this...I just,” He let out a shaky breath. “I don’t think he’ll stop them this time.”

They stayed silent at that remark, shocked, not quite sure what to say. Adira was the one to break the silence. “Do you really think that?”

“Considering he’s been holding that over my head for years, yeah.” 

Adira looked at him, then to Old Corona. The jump wasn’t too large, she could manage it without issue. “Hm. Ok.”

Without another word she leaped from the balloon, ignoring the protests from above. She caught herself on a large tree, using one of the branches to swing onto the large stone wall, then onto the mountain of rocks, jumping from one to another, sliding down them until she hit solid ground. Once she laid eyes on Quirin, she began to run, sprinting toward him with a fierce look in her eye. He only had a second to react before she sent a swift kick to his side. 

“Nice to know Adira’s already caught up!” Eugene joked, laughing quietly as Quirin doubled over in pain.

Hector followed after her the second she hit the ground, leaping from the balloon as well. Madeline followed after him, words of protest being repeated as he sprinted toward Quirin. She managed to catch up to him, grabbing the man by the wrist and stopping him in his tracks. 

“Hector! Please.” She let go of his wrist, slowly. “This won’t solve anything.” 

Hector sighed and relented, letting her past him to the two fighting in front of her. Quirin remained defensive, blocking the series of kicks and punches sent his way, though his lack of practice over the years showed, many of the hits still landing. Adira yelled all the while, insults and accusations fitting in seamlessly with her attacks. She sent another kick in his direction, though this one didn’t land, instead, a small hand caught her ankle.

“Adira.” Madeline spoke softly, though her impatience could still be heard.

“But he--”

“I know. Just give me a moment, please?” She gave a quick smile as Adira dropped her leg down, though she glared at him from a distance. Madeline then turned back to Quirin, her warm smile no longer present. “You disgust me.”

“What? Your highness, I--”

“How _dare_ you act as if protecting your child from harm is a service that needs repaying! Do you genuinely think he deserves that kind of treatment?” 

“No I never meant to--”

“Quiet. I’ve heard enough.” 

The balloon landed with a loud thud, alerting the rest of them. Varian lept over the basket's edge running over to them. He stopped in front of his father, a panicked look on his face.

“Dad, I’m so sorry I don’t know why they did that, I--” He started to explain, but stopped once he met the man’s eyes. He froze, only adding more fuel to the anger of those around them.

“We’ll discuss this later, son.” He spoke quietly, rage leaking from his voice.

“No, no you’re not.” Eugene slid between them, pulling Varian away to where Rapunzel and Lance stood. He leaned down to match his height, hands on his shoulders. “Blondie and I think it might be...better, for you to stay in the capital.”

“What?”

“I know it might be difficult for you, so it’s ultimately your decision if you want to stay, but at least consider it.” Eugene pulled him into a tight hug, one which Rapunzel and Lance joined almost instantly. 

“I-- I don’t--” Varian started to say, quiet, shaking words they could hardly make out. “I don’t want to stay.”

“Ok.” Eugene hugged him tighter before letting go. He looked toward the brotherhood, one member, Adira, walked toward them.

“Hello, Fishskin.” She nodded and looked down at Varian. “We’ll be staying in Old Corona for the time being. Short-hair will most likely stay within a few miles of the capital, so this would be the best place for us to stay without alerting other people.”

“Fair enough. What about...y’know.” Eugene started to say, glancing nervously down to Varian as he spoke.

“We know how to handle him.” Adira smiled. “I suppose this is our official goodbye. It’s been fun, and I’m sure we’ll run into each other very soon.” 

The four waved as they left, Rapunzel taking over piloting the balloon on the way back. Eugene put his hands around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. 

“So, are you finally going to talk about all this?” He asked quietly, so only she could hear.

Rapunzel sighed and smiled. “Yeah. I think I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I wasn't planning to make this that long,,, it was totally worth it but still,,,,


	4. Chapter 4

“It’s been an undertaking, but I think we’ve made it pretty far! Red and Angry,” Rapunzel turned around, smiling at the two kids following her, then motioned around her. “Welcome to New Corona!” 

“You know, it's about time you two decided to settle down near us.” Lance smiled down at them.

“Oh yeah, now we won’t have to hear his complaints anymore.” Varian snickered, then leaned against Lance, a hand on his forehead. “My poor baby girls! They’re out there all alone, living in the wild. Oh, how I miss them so!”

Lance shoved him off, coughing and mumbling incoherently. He sighed and looked back at them. “So, moving on. Where exactly _have_ you guys been staying?”

“This total _dump_ we found in the woods.” Angry scoffed and crossed her arms, glancing over to the woods behind them.

“Actually it's not that--” Red started to say, then stopped at Angry’s glare. “Uh, nope, total dump. Hate it.”

Eugene raised his brow at that comment, though he chose not to speak on it. “Well, with Blondie’s relocation efforts for the people whose houses were destroyed, you should be able to find a place here for you to live.”

“That sounds great!” Angry nodded, though her mood soured fast as she noticed Red fiddling anxiously with the locket tied around her neck. She poked her to get her attention, startling her. “What’s up with you?”

“Oh, um, it’s nothing. This is all just...weird, to me I guess.” Red shrugged, staring at her shoes. 

Angry frowned and patted her on the back. “Well, you’ll get used to it eventually. This’ll be good for us.” 

“Right. It’ll be great.” Red gave her sister a reassuring smile, one that morphed into a frown the second she turned away. It concerned them, to say the least, those of them who had noticed her dejected attitude. Their concerns were interrupted by a sudden scream nearby.

Rapunzel perked up, letting down her hair and sprinting in the direction of the scream, the others following closely behind. They stopped in front of a house, though that’s not how they would refer to it in its current state, that being a pile of shredded wood. 

“What’s wrong?” Rapunzel quickly tied her hair back up as she walked calmly over to the source of the screams.

“The house!” The man exclaimed, motioning to the rubble crumbling on the ground. “It’s completely destroyed! What-- what could even manage this?!”

“It looks like an animal attack,” Eugene spoke out from where he stood, crouched over the rubble. “Though I don’t know what could have caused something like _this._ ”

“Well, let’s find out! Max!” Rapunzel whistled as loud as she could manage. The horse came running, sprinting to where she stood and saluting the second he stopped. She laughed, “Do your thing.”

Without another word, Maximus leaned to the ground and sniffed at it, inspecting the crime scene with vigor. Eugene walked back to the others and watched. “Does he just-- what, show up anytime you do that?”

“I have _got_ to try that sometime,” Lance said in amazement, though he got a glare from the horse as he spoke.

He stopped sniffing for a second to point his head in the direction of its origin, deep in the woods behind the coast. The others followed him observing with both confusion and awe, though it leaned more toward the former. 

The horse stopped in his tracks pointing with his hoof down to the ground beneath him. Pawprints edged into the dirt.

“Those look like...wolf prints.” Eugene narrowed his eyes at the tracks in front of him.

Lance leaned down, inspecting them. “Yeah, well, if they are, that’s one big wolf.”

“No, no that can’t be right.” Varian walked along the tracks for a moment, then turned back. “These tracks aren’t side by side. Whatever made them would have to be a biped.”

“Well, that just makes it even weirder.” Angry joked, nudging Red’s side. She looked over to her at the lack of response, seeing her stare intensely at the trees above them. “What’s up?”

“Something’s following us.” 

Red and the beast locked eyes for just a moment before it let out a deranged cry and sprinted along the treetops. Rapunzel looked up and started following it, motioning for the others to follow as well. “Let’s go!” 

The seven of them ran after it, jumping down a hill from rock to rock. Rapunzel yelled at Lance and Eugene to head in one direction, throw it off, while she sprinted the opposite. The creature kept running, growling and spitting as it leapt from the trees and down to the ground below, increasing its speed now that it no longer had to worry about falling. It was caught nevertheless, trapped in a web of Rapunzel’s hair. 

Rapunzel stopped and stared at it, waiting for the others to catch up. Once they did, she slowly made her way toward it, inspecting its face, one that looked lifeless. Her eyes went wide, she lifted it up. A woman’s face looked back at her, one practically dripping with anger.

“Who are you?” Rapunzel asked backing away as the woman panted and struggled.

“Captain Creighton, world-class hunter. You’re getting in the way of one of my biggest tracks yet, so if you could let me _go,_ that’d be great.” She growled as she spoke, pulling and pushing at the hair that wrapped around her wrists and ankles.

“Oh! Sorry.” Rapunzel let the woman go and tied her hair back up. “What exactly _are_ you hunting if I might ask?”

The woman smiled, a devilish smile that sent chills down her spine. “A werewolf.”

* * *

“Should I be impressed or disgusted?” Lance pointed at the woman as she tore away at a drumstick, tossing the bone into a large pile she’d assembled.

Varian gagged as she gurgled gravy down with it. “Disgusted. Definitely disgusted.”

Creighton let out a large belch and sighed, rambling to herself about how long it had been since she’d last had a good meal. Rapunzel coughed, getting her attention. “So, Captain, you said you were hunting a um...werewolf.”

“Yep.” The captain pulled out a comically large book from her bag, shoving aside the bones and plates, letting them shatter on the floor, then dumped it on the table with a loud thud. “It’s all here in this book. What we’re dealin’ with here is a Maledicta Lupus, a wolf’s curse.”

She frowned at the sudden sound of laughter, Varian leaning on the table with one hand, cackling. He let out a long sigh, smiling. “You’re kidding, right?”

She narrowed her eyes and threw the book open, pointing aggressively to a section. “The wolf curse travel’s the globe, looking for its prey. It prefers those who are weak-willed and easily influenced, favoring children over all else.”

“Let me guess, they feed on naughty kids who piss off their parents.” Varian spoke through snickers, getting another glare.

The captain coughed loudly, then resumed. “It feeds on untapped aggression, possessing those with a deep-seated rage. It inhabits their body, and if their rage continues to go unchecked, they’ll turn into...a werewolf.”

Varian rolled his eyes, imitating her speaking, mocking her. Angry and Red laughed quietly, pushing and shoving each other, telling the other to be quiet. Rapunzel smiled before turning back to the captain, a more serious expression on her face.

“What exactly do you plan to do once you _find_ this werewolf?” 

“Oh!” Creighton took out a crossbow from behind her back and slammed it on the table. “I’m gonna kill it.”

“You’re going to _what?_ ” Rapunzel returned her glare, walking down the table to where she sat. She yanked the book from under the crossbow, leaning down to meet the woman in the eyes. “I think it’s time you left. We’ll handle this ourselves, thank you.”

“Ha! Good luck with that.” 

Rapunzel sighed, picking the woman up by her collar and dragging her down the castle’s hallway. She stopped abruptly at the entrance, kicking down the door and throwing her out onto the pavement. 

“You’re making a mistake!” Creighton yelled, gripping tightly onto her crossbow.

“I think I'll take that ch--” She slammed the door for emphasis, though she sighed at the missed timing. Rapunzel looked behind her, smiling nervously. “You got what I meant, right?”

“You did fine, Sunshine. Though um,” Eugene held her hand, looking nervously at the shut door. “Are you sure kicking her out like that was a good idea?”

“You heard what she said! She said she-- she wanted to _kill_ that werewolf, well, whoever it is, that’s one of my subjects, a _child,_ and I refuse to have her here endangering someone’s life.” 

“So we’ll just have to find them before she can.” Eugene nodded, letting go of her hand as she opened the book and walked back toward the door.

“The plan is to do this quietly. We don’t want a panic on our hands.” Rapunzel opened the door again, meeting eyes with a thousand people, screaming, signs waving in the air.

“I think we need a new plan.” Lance stared at the crowd, walking closer and closer to the castle’s entrance.

Rapunzel gathered herself and walked to the edge of the steps, motioning for everyone to calm down. “I know you’ve heard rumors about a werewolf in Corona. This situation is new and uncertain ground for all of us, and I need you to stay calm while we figure it out--”

Rapunzel stopped, letting out an agonizing cry, doubling over in pain over a wound she did not seemingly have. Fur ripped at her clothes expanding and puffing out through the fabric. She turned around, looking Angry in the eye with a menacing glare and snarling teeth. Angry looked around frantically, everyone around her sprouting fangs and claws, staring at her with glowing red eyes. She reached back and grabbed her sister's hand, racing through the crowd clawing at them. She stopped as Red pulled back, then turned around.

“We have to stay. We belong here.” Red laughed with a toothy grin, fangs poking out of her mouth.

Angry backed away, tears in her eyes. She tripped over the balcony plummeting down to the concrete below, hitting it with a hard thud as she let out a terrified scream. Suddenly, the scenery changed. It was night, she was in bed. Well, out of bed, sprawled on the floor.

“Red?” Angry pushed herself up, poking her head up from behind her bed and looking to her sister’s. It was empty.

* * *

“Hey.” Rapunzel gave Red a soft smile, putting a hand on her shoulder and joining her at the edge of the balcony. “I see you’re not the only one bothered by this whole...werewolf situation.”

“Hm? Yeah.” Red rested her chin on her arms, crossing them against the balcony’s edge.

“...That isn’t all of it though, is it?” Rapunzel sighed and leaned down, matching Red’s height. “You’ve been pretty...dejected, ever since you got here. What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing!” Red shouted without warning. She apologized, then spoke again, more of a whisper. “It’s nothing. I just...I don’t really...want to be here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s-- it’s not like I don’t like it here! It’s been great, seeing everyone again, but I…” Red sighed, staring up at the towering stone walls behind her. “ _This_ isn't me. Angry says this is what’s best for us but…”

“Does she know you feel this way?”

“I tried to tell her! It’s just...really hard to get it out, I guess.” Red sighed. “I-- I can’t seem to get her to listen.”

“Hm. That _is_ tricky. Your sister is definitely on the stubborn side.” Rapunzel laughed to herself, then took Red’s hands smiling at her. “But, I’m sure with a little help, you can manage to get through to her.”

Red smiled back. “Thanks, Rapunzel.”

“No problem! Helping people, it’s what I do. Speaking of which, we’ve got to help out whoever this _werewolf_ is.” Rapunzel laughed. “Wow, never thought I’d be saying that.”

* * *

“It’s called ‘The Mark of the Wolf’, and according to this book, when the wolf is in their human form, it appears as a blue paw-shaped blemish on their hands, face, or neck.” Rapunzel read aloud from her book, glancing up at Pascal as he hopped on the pages. She smiled and laughed as he changed his colors to match it. “So couple that with them having to be a kid with a repressed rage, and this should be easy! The kids in Corona are so nice!”

Rapunzel looked to the side, watching as a group of kids played. One of them screamed an angry roar and ran after the others. One of the kids, the one that decided not to run, screamed back at him and started to fight, both of them falling in the fountain as the others laughed. 

“Hm. This might be harder than I thought.” 

“Still reading that dumb book?”

Rapunzel yelped at the sudden voice next to her, whipping her head back to where the book was. “Oh! Varian!”

“Yep! That’s my name.” Varian took the book and inspected it. “Please don’t tell me you actually believe this bullshit.”

“Aw come on, I thought after all that had happened on the road you’d have a more open mind to this sort of thing!” Rapunzel held out her hand to ask for the book back. He sighed and complied.

“Well _excuse_ me if I neglect to believe in something that sounds exactly like the sort of story some snot-nosed little kid would tell while sitting by a campfire.” Varian scoffed, rolling his eyes and smiling at her. Ruddiger, resting on his neck, started pawing at the boy’s collar pulling and poking at it. Varian swatted his hand at it. “Ruddiger! I thought I told you to stop messing with that!”

Rapunzel froze, the image of the paw print burning into her eyes. She slammed the book shut, taking Pascal and waving awkwardly goodbye. He returned it, albeit a little confused at her sudden nervousness. He shrugged and walked away.

Rapunzel slammed open the door to the castle, book in hand, murmuring anxiously about her new discovery. She kicked down another door, opening it to reveal Lance and Eugene, interrupting their conversation.

“I know who the werewolf is!” She exclaimed, shocking the both of them.

“Um. Yeah?” Eugene asked, waiting expectantly for her answer.

“It's Varian.” Rapunzel waited for their reaction, and when there was nothing, she opened the book, pointing to a picture in one of the sections. “Look, here. I saw this on his neck.”

“What? What does that even _mean?_ ” Lance stared at her, look of confusion not wavering.

“It says here,” Rapunzel pointed to the words below the picture. “That when the werewolf is in human form,” She moved her finger back to the picture. “ _This_ will be the indicator.”

Lance shrugged. “Could’ve been something else. Besides, with how the adamant the kid’s been about this all being a hoax, I feel like he’d be _offended_ if he actually was the werewolf.” 

“Yes! Exactly. That’s just further proof!” 

“You’ve lost me.”

“Denial! He denies that the wolf’s curse isn’t real so that he won’t be a suspect because _he’s_ the wolf!” Rapunzel waited again for a reaction, some shrugs and nods followed. “Come on guys, out of every kid in Corona who do you think has the most ‘untapped aggression’?”

“Ok yeah, you’ve got a point.” Eugene nodded, expression going more serious. “What should we do?”

“We’ll follow him for now, if he knows we know about it he might...panic, but we can’t let Crieghton get her hands on him. We lay low, and stay quiet. Got it?” The two nodded. “Alright, let’s do this.”

* * *

“Are we seriously just going to wait here outside his room the entire-- wait where is he going?” Eugene looked over at the sudden movement from the door. Varian opened it, glancing side to side to check if anyone was there, then walked quietly down the hallway.

“Am I… the only one who _really_ doesn’t want him to be the werewolf?” Lance whispered nervously as they followed behind him. “I mean, not only would that suck really bad for him, but, like, the kid already has bombs at his disposal. Now he’s got super strength? Nightmare fuel right there.”

Rapunzel shushed him and continued to sneak, ducking for cover behind the walls of the castle as the boy slipped quietly through one of the side exits. She waited a moment before following him again, not wanting to alert him of their presence, then quietly opened the door. 

“Do you think he’s doing some late night shopping? Building up stock on all those glass vials he’s constantly breaking?” Eugene joked, attempting to keep the mood light.

“No. Everything’s closed.” Rapunzel responded quickly, quietly. “What _are_ you doing, Varian?”

Varian walked out of the capital, keeping an eye out for any sudden movement. His wariness made it difficult to follow, so they kept their distance, slipping behind barrels and alleyways when the mood struck the boy to turn around. Once he was in the woods, he pulled out a vial and shook it, making it glow. Without warning, Varian snapped around, pointing the vial in front of him like a weapon.

“Alright! Whoever you are, show yourself! I can and _will_ hurt you!” 

Rapunzel sighed, stepping out from behind a bush, motioning the others to follow suit.

“Wha-- Rapunzel? Lance, Eugene-- what-- what are you doing?” Varian fell out of his defensive stance, relaxing his shoulders and taking on a more confused expression.

“We um-- well we might have been...following you?” Rapunzel explained awkwardly. She sighed. “Look, we know your secret, Varian.”

“Ha, secret? What secrets? I certainly don’t have any _secrets._ Nope! Not me, I’m an open book-- I’ve been talking too long haven’t I?”

“Yeah, yeah a little bit.” Eugene nodded. “It’s ok kid. You can tell us.”

“Ok, fine. You win.” Varian slumped his shoulders, frowning. “I may, or may not have been...visiting Old Corona every night.”

“Wha--”

“I don’t really do anything! I haven’t even talked to anyone! Well, I talked to Adira, and Hector, and the queen but-- but that’s it! Just, making sure my dad’s doing ok! And them-- them too.” Varian waved his hands around, stuttering and panicking as their confusion only grew.

“What, no that’s not what we meant. I mean, you should have told us, yes, and we’ll talk about this later, but, no.” Rapunzel walked up to him, putting her hands on his arms. “We know you’re a werewolf.”

“I’m a what?” Varian started to laugh, though he stopped when their concern didn’t cease. “You’re joking, right?”

“Not really, no.” Lance shrugged.

“Ok, ok. Setting aside the fact that the whole werewolf thing is just the hunter’s delusional bullshit, what the _fuck_ guys?” Varian swatted at Rapunzel’s hand, putting some space between them. “What, did you hear the words rage and aggression and automatically go ‘Welp! Varian fits the bill! Let’s just follow the guy in the middle of the god damn night! Sure hope we’re right about this hunch otherwise he’s going to _fucking_ kill us!’”

“You’re not um-- actually going to do that, right?” Lance asked nervously, backing away a little.

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m a raging beast remember? Who knows what I might do!” 

“But you had the mark--” Rapunzel started to say, putting her hand to her neck.

“The what?” Varian put his hand to his neck as well. He looked down at his hand. “This? This is just paint, from the whole ‘Rebuilding Corona’ plan you put in place. This seriously isn’t what you were going off of, was it?”

“Well, yeah, maybe, I’m sorry Varian. We just thought--”

“Yeah, well, you thought wrong.” Varian stopped for a second, then sighed. “Ok, fine. It was a fair assumption. Though if you want proof that I’m not secretly a feral animal, Creighton said the wolf transformed when the cursed individual was pissed right?” Varian waited for their nods, then motioned to himself. “See any fur? Any claws or fangs? There’s your proof.”

A howl sounded nearby, followed by several screams.

“Maybe Creighton’s not entirely crazy, kid.” Eugene commented before sprinting off to the source of the screams, everyone else following closely behind.

“Yeah, I don’t believe that for a sec-- Holy _shit._ ” Varian stopped in his tracks, practically cracking his neck to look up at the beast that towered over him, its red eyes burning into his own. 

Its demeanor shifted when it caught sight of him, the aggression turning to sheepishness, however ironic that term may seem given the current situation. It let out a small whimper, looking frantically to the others, and started to back away. It yelped at the arrow that flew past it, crashing itself onto one of the house’s wooden posts. It shocked the others as well, all turning in the direction the arrow was sent. Creighton.

“Let’s split up!” Rapunzel shouted, pulling them all from their collective trances. “Lance, Eugene, you follow Creighton, make sure she doesn’t try anything. Varian and I will follow the wolf.”

“Aye aye Captain Blondie!” Eugene gave a quick salute and ran in Creighton’s direction as the woman aimed her crossbow yet again, Lance following behind him.

Rapunzel took Varian’s hand, pulling him in along as she pursued the wolf, now running away as fast as it could manage. The fog around them grew, clouding their line of vision, making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead of them. They stopped, listening for the sound of hard thumping footsteps, a low growl, even so much as a branch breaking.

“I don’t think we’re the ones doing the chasing anymore.” Varian laughed nervously at the familiar howl sounding closeby. 

Without another word, Rapunzel began to pull him along again, sprinting away, looking back occasionally to see the silhouette of a large beast closing in on them. She ducked behind a rock on the cliffside, yanking Varian behind it as well.

“Could you _stop_ doing that?” Varian whispered, annoyance growing with each yank at his arm. 

Rapunzel shushed him, pointing in front of them at the werewolf, stalking around on its hind legs, a low growl escaping its mouth. He stared at it with wide eyes, watching slowly as it passed by them. They let out a sigh of relief, though the fear returned fast at the growl growing behind them. They whipped around, pressing themselves against the rock. 

Rapunzel laughed nervously at the towering beast. “My!... what big teeth you have!”

“You just couldn’t resist, could you?” Varian deadpanned, suspending his fear, if for but a moment.

The werewolf closed in on them slobber dripping down from its teeth and onto the ground below. A shine came from its chest, a metallic thing hanging around its neck that piqued Rapunzel’s curiosity, making her forget her fear to look closer. She slowly, shakily, moved her hand to where she saw it, pushing aside the tuft of fur to see a familiar locket, one of a leaf.

“It can’t be…” She said quietly, just loud enough for the three of them to hear it. 

The wolf, as if the reveal of its identity were a wound of its own, whimpered and backed away, sprinting back off into the woods, leaving nothing but its prey to stand in shock, contemplating all that they saw. 

“The wolf…” Rapunzel spoke again, looking over to Varian. “It’s Red.”

* * *

Rapunzel shook Angry awake, a panicked expression meeting her dazed and confused one. “What’s going on?”

“Red, your sister, I need you to tell me where she is.” 

“What? How should I know? I’m not her babysitter--”

“She’s the werewolf Angry.” Rapunzel spoke firmly, finally getting Angry’s attention.

She sighed. “I know where she might be.”

* * *

Angry motioned at them to follow her up a tree, one with a rundown treehouse at its top, old rotting wood making up its walls, bits and pieces torn off, or perhaps fell off on their own. Rapunzel walked by her side as they entered the treehouse, staying at the front of the group. Angry pointed at a room in the back of it, a part shoved off from the rest, and allowed Rapunzel to enter it first. Red, huddled in a tattered blanket, looked up at her, tears in her eyes.

“I’m not the monster.”

Rapunzel frowned, sitting down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. “No one said that you were a monster.” 

She wiped away Red’s tears, the red paint on her face dripping down, leaving the blue mark entirely present. Red didn’t stop crying, she spoke in a whisper. “I’m-- I’m sorry.”

Angry sat in front of her, kneeling down. “How did this happen?”

“Last month, when you decided that we needed to settle down, I wanted to tell you that I liked it out here. I didn’t want to leave, but…” Red looked down. “When you started to get mad I just..couldn’t find the courage to say anything else so I…”

“You left.” Angry said quietly, sadly, a twinge of guilt growing inside her.

“It found me, when I was alone, the spirit. It said it had the power to give me the courage to speak for myself, to finally be heard, all I had to do was...let it.” Red sighed and looked back up at them. “It was stupid, I realize that now. I shouldn’t have trusted something like that the way I did I just-- I just… I didn’t know how else I could get you to listen.”

Varian winced at that comment, some part inside of him wanting to push past the others and hug her, telling her everything he’d wished he’d heard when that was his driving force. It caused him to hurt so many people, people he cared about, even then, and to see that guilt on someone else, he didn’t like it, he never wanted to see it again. And yet, despite that, he stayed silent, unmoving, matching the actions of those around him.

Rapunzel was the first to speak, pulling a large book from her bag and opening it, pointing at a section. “I know you never meant for this to happen, Red. The important thing here is there’s a way to fix it. We have the correct time, and place for it. We just need you to go through with it, ok?”

Red nodded, taking the hand Rapunzel offered and letting her pull her along. “Ok.”

* * *

“Alright, Red. Everythings ready for you, you just have to say this, and it should let the spirit leave.” Rapunzel stared at the instructions, taking in every bit, wanting no mistake to take place, lest something terrible happen instead. “It’s...actually very simple, now that I think about it.”

Rapunzel continued to stare at them, now inspecting it with a slight level of concern before shaking her head, snapping herself back into reality. She had to do this. If there was even the slightest chance it might be real, that it might work, she had to take that chance. 

She took in a deep breath and spoke again. “Ok, repeat after me.” She waited for Red’s nod before beginning the incantation. “I swear this wolf away.”

“I-- I swear this wolf away.”

“Not to give in to its rage. Wolf, begone.”

“Not to give in to its rage. Wolf, be…” 

Rapunzel glanced up from the book, a concerned look on her face. “Come on, Red, you’re so close. Just say it.”

“Please, Red, you have to!” Angry gripped her arms, squeezing onto them desperately. 

Red shoved her hands away, backing up and stepping onto the podium at the ruin’s center. “No, I don’t! And stop _calling me that!_ ”

They stood there, shocked, silent. She let out a shaky breath and continued.

“Maybe I _want_ to be the wolf. Have any of you ever thought of that? Maybe-- Maybe _I_ wanted to be the angry one for once. Maybe then one of you would actually listen to me!” Her shouts grew louder and louder, her angry growing with it. She tried her best to ignore the fur creeping up her arm. “I’m _sick_ of everyone pulling me along to whatever it is they want to do, and not even stopping for a second to think that maybe, just maybe, I don’t want to do it. No one ever cares what I think!”

“Re-- Catalina, I’m sorry I--”

“I don’t care if you’re sorry!” She seemed shocked at her own words, the aggression seemingly pouring out of her, but she didn’t stop. “When I’m the wolf, people listen. They _have_ to listen to me. I’ll _make_ them listen!”

Varian started to speak, ignoring any doubts he’d had before. “Catalina, wait, you don’t want to do this--”

“ _No!_ ” The last moment of anger was enough for her, the fur that had been creeping on her arms burts out of them, tearing at the fabric on her jacket, spreading down to the rest of her body. She grew, getting taller and taller until she towered over everything, claws bigger than any animal for miles, teeth sharper as well, her menacing eyes enough to scare anyone who would dare get in her way.

“Finally, it’s time to end this.” Creighton whispered to herself, then jumped from behind her place of hiding, crossbow in hand, ready to shoot.

“No! Don’t hurt her!” Rapunzel jumped in between them, using herself as a shield before the captain could shoot. “We have a way to fix this!”

“What? The ritual?” Creighton laughed. “That’s just some footnote I added in case the wolf found my book. Thanks to that, I knew when and where the wolf would be.”

“Leave the girl _alone._ ” 

“She ain’t a girl anymore. She’s a _monster._ ” Creighton grinded her teeth, wanting desperately to shoot.

The wolf’s ears dropped, any malicious intent gone in an instant. She ran, jumping from the cliff onto the rocky beach below, jumping from rock to rock and sprinting across the sand into the woods. Rapunzel and the others ran to the edge, watching her leave.

“We have to find her...somehow.” Rapunzel spoke softly, the concern on her face only growing.

“Yeah and fast.” Lance turned around, looking at the space around them. “Creighton’s gone.”

“ _Shit._ ” Eugene turned around as well, already running down the cliff to catch up with the woman. “Let’s go!”

* * *

“The hunt is on, girly.” Creighton mumbled as she loaded her weapon, kneeling on the grass and preparing to shoot at the slightest movement. 

Something rushed past her, a figure, one covered in fur and larger than any animal she’d hunted before. She whirled around, following the creature with her crossbow, trying to get a decent aim. She took her shot once she thought she got it, though she hit the ground instead. She felt a presence behind her, a big one, and turned around. A large paw swatted at her crossbow, knocking it from her hands. The beast used its other arm to slam her against the ground, free hand ready to strike.

“Wait!” Angry ran up to them, putting out a hand as if to tell her to stop. “Catalina, please don’t do this. She’s a jerk, and she deserves it but _please,_ you’re not a monster.” She lowered her hands, putting them together. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before, I promise I won’t ever do it again, just, let her go.”

Varian stepped out from the fog, one hand on Angry’s shoulder. “Catalina, I know you want her dead. I-- we don’t blame you for wanting to hurt her, but...it shouldn’t be you. You shouldn’t have to carry the guilt of hurting someone like that, even if they do deserve it. You’re a good person, and I know deep down you think this is wrong.”

“We’re all here for you, Catalina.” Lance stepped out as well, Eugene and Rapunzel behind him. “You can talk to us, about what’s bothering you. This isn’t the way to get out your anger.” 

“ _Please._ ” Angry spoke again, soft, no aggression in her tone. “I love you.”

Catalina started to lift her hand from the captain, anger melting away, replaced with a wave of guilt. 

“Yeah! Listen to her!” Creighton yelled, backing away. 

A glass ball filled with glowing liquid flew down to the ground at her feet, the parts it touched disintegrating into smoking mush. She looked up to where it was thrown.

“One more word out of you and _I won’t miss._ ” Varian in a low, menacing tone, frightening the woman just as much as the werewolf had. Without another word she sprinted away. 

Catalina smiled, a small bout of laughter escaping her as she morphed back into herself. The second she was back to normal, everyone came racing up to her, pulling her into a tight hug. 

"We're so glad you're back, Catalina!" Rapunzel practically squeezed the life out of her, though she didn't really mind.

* * *

Angry slid down a slide of barrel tubes, laughing maniacally. She slid across the grass once she hit the bottom, laughter not ceasing. “I’ve gotta do that again!” 

Lance smiled as he watched Angry speed up the ladder to the top of their newly built treehouse, setting down the crate and pulling out its contents. “I brought some paintings from the castle! Thought they might...spruce the place up a bit.” He picked up one of them, a portrait of himself standing on a pile of gold. “ _This_ is my personal favorite.”

“Thanks, Rapunzel, for helping us fix this place up.” Catalina said with a smile.

“Aw, I’m just glad we found a way for you to stay close by after all.”

“Yeah, it’s not quite civilized, not quite the wild, perfect for you two.” Eugene joked, leaning against one of the trees. He kneeled down to match Catalina’s height, smile not fading. “Just, promise me if you need anything, like managing the uh…” Eugene pointed his fingers down like teeth and faked a growl. “You’re gonna ask, right?”

Catalina laughed. “Yeah.”

“Wouldn’t want you going back to burying your anger again.” Varian laughed for a moment, though his mood soured as he glanced down to a painting of Cassandra. “That never helped anyone…”

* * *

Cassandra stared intently at the black rocks around her, hand up and motioning them to grow. They showed little reaction, hardly growing, unlike her impatience, which doubled every second it didn’t work. She let herself fall to the ground, indulging slightly in her frustration. 

“Hello again, Cassandra.” A familiar voice spoke from behind her.

Cassandra whipped her head around, hand on her swords hilt and ready to attack. “You. How are you here?”

“Where the moonstone goes, I go. I don’t really have a choice in the matter.” The girl shrugged. Her face morphed into concern, she walked slowly toward Cassandra, raising her hand to comfort her, then lowering it when the woman glared at her. “Though, I would have come either way.”

“Why?”

She smiled, warmly. “I want to help you. I’ve seen how the Sundrop has hurt you, and I don’t want to see it again. I want you to get better. Not just at controlling the rocks, I want to see you happy, again.”

“Why do you care? I don’t even know you!”

“True, but I know you.” The girl put her hand on the moonstone, stroking it gently. “The moonstone, much like its counterpart, reacts to emotion. When threatened, the sundrop will move to defend, manifesting itself as a shield for its wielder. As for the moonstone, it will attack.” 

“So what, I can only use these when I’m being attacked?”

“I didn’t say that, exactly. The moonstone is the easier artifact to use, activating its powers is rather simple.” She dropped her hand, warm smile turning sinister. “You simply have to harness your own aggression. If you have the desire to hurt, the moonstone will comply.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“We both know that’s not true. Otherwise,” She laughed quietly. “You wouldn’t have used them before.”

“Alright that’s it.” Cassandra stood up, taking her sword and pointing it down to the girl. With her malicious intent, the rocks around her shot up. 

The girl smiled. “You’re a fast learner. I’m glad you were the one to take me.”

“To what?” Cassandra’s confusion only grew as the girl faded into nothing. She looked around frantically. No one was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I was writing twilight fanfic anytime I talked about the werewolf and it made me want to cut my hands off.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! **Important Message:** tw for gore at the beginning of the chapter. If you're not ok with that sort of thing, avoid the section from 'Shit.' to 'I can't believe I just...'

_I got this, Cass! Go!_

Cassandra watched as the rocks around her shot up, flaring a bright blue and fading back to black at the indulgence of anger. She was testing them, seeing exactly what kind of frustration could make them appear, how fast, how big, how sharp. Remembering their time in the Great Tree brought up much stronger ones, a source to her frustration she could use at a whim, a neverending black hole of her own boiling hatred.

Wait-- not hatred. She didn’t hate her. She was doing this for Rapunzel’s protection after all, how could she hate someone she gave everything to protect? She sighed, ignoring her inner confliction and returning to her practice. Memories popped up in her head, any demeaning comment or demand that brought her a source of rage. She ignored the fact that it was mostly Rapunzel in those memories as well, not wanting to focus on it. She didn’t hate her. She never hated her. She--

**_Enough!_** _...Cassandra._

“ _No!_ ” Cassandra yelled, screaming as loud as she could manage, somehow thinking Rapunzel might be able to hear her, even if she was miles away. Rocks sprouted up all around her, a small hill of black spikes forming. A scream sounded nearby. 

“Shit.” Cassandra whispered and ran in the direction of the scream. 

The closer she got, the more apparent it became that the scream was not out of fear, but pain. Crying could be heard now, several people talking frantically, their wobbling voices giving Cassandra a sense of dread as to what she had done. She hid behind a tree, looking ahead to the source of the noise. A group of children, looking up to one of the rocks. One of the children was hanging off of it, not by her hands, but by her leg. The rock had impaled her calf, hanging her upside-down, blood rushing down her leg like a waterfall.

“What do we do?!” One of the children tried to shout over her, though it proved difficult to be heard over her screaming.

“We have to get her down!” Another child yelled, running around the rock and attempting to climb it. 

They slipped down, unable to get a solid grip. Cassandra raised a hand, shaking, her other hand over her mouth, and tried to move it. She stayed as calm as she could manage, focusing on the rock and nothing else, not bringing herself to meet eyes with the girl hanging from her own creation. 

“Wait!” A boy yelled, directed at the child climbing. “It’s moving.”

They glanced up, sure enough, the rocks were sliding down ever so slowly to match their height. The children collectively sighed in relief, panic fading for just a moment before the cries returned. They ran over to her, giving words of comfort as they tried to pull her off. Cassandra watched, frozen in horror. The children worked together to pick her up and carry her back, moving as fast as they could manage, leaving Cassandra alone to stare at the aftermath. 

“I can’t believe I just…” She whispered to herself, putting her hands against her head and gripping her hair. She started to feel sick, moving her hands from her head to her mouth, holding back a gag. A voice, quiet as a mouse, yet deafening to her all the while, spoke in her mind. 

_What if you hurt Rapunzel?_

That was out of the question, she reasoned, shaking her head violently and silencing the voice. She wouldn’t dream of hurting her, this was just a mistake. Just one mistake.

_You didn’t hesitate to hurt everyone else._

She shook her head again, that was an accident, she may have hated the people she hurt, but she didn’t outright want to hurt them. 

_Didn’t you? You wouldn’t have attacked otherwise._

“Enough!” She shouted to the void. It answered with a thousand cries, screaming accusations and violent thoughts into her brain. She shut her eyes tight and covered her ears, trying to block everything out. She didn’t notice the small blue girl giggling behind her, nor did she notice the stream of glowing red rocks shooting up in the direction of the capital.

* * *

“What does it mean, Demanitus?” Varian slammed his head on his desk, turning it to the side to look up to the scroll. “What does it mean?” 

His frustration was interrupted by a scream, one he recognized instantly. He jumped, straightening himself and racing out of the door, running on autopilot. Sure enough, his father was waiting outside of his lab. Well, he thought it was his father. But he was too tall, too large, his face was blurred, the shadow over his eyes unnatural for the lighting of the castle’s hallway. 

“What have you done, Varian?” The man spoke in a low, distorted voice, echoing all around him. Varian felt himself shrink in response.

“I- I don’t know!-- I” He stuttered out, jumping at the black rocks shooting up around him. Quirin backed away and let the rocks surround the boy, a silent stare of disapproval burning into his mind. 

“How could you do this?” Rapunzel materialized in front of him, looking up with tears in her eyes, large globs of water falling down her face, similar to the glob-like form of her body. She was hardly there. 

Crowds of people formed around him, some faces he recognized, some too muddled to make out. There was one feature in every figure that he could see, their eyes, all in frightening amounts of detail, bulging out of their skulls and staring holes through him. They screamed at him, all shouting familiar accusations, yet they were almost silent compared to the amalgamation in front of him.

Rapunzel changed, melting and reforming into a combination of everyone he knew, everyone he cared about, the form grew in size, taking up his entire line of view. The tears kept falling, splashing onto his face and flooding the floor. 

“Why do you hurt us?” Several voices spoke at once, the broken cry of each of his friends hurting more than the amber poking into his skin. “We love you.”

He shut his eyes tightly, trying to shut everything out. He heard the shine of a blade and snapped his eyes open. He fell back in the chair he was sitting in, falling onto the floor and gasping for air. He took a second to calm himself down, gripping his neck and trying not to focus on the dream. It was just a dream. It wasn’t-- well, it was mostly fake anyhow. 

“Just a dream.” Varian mumbled to himself and shakily got up from where he laid, taking the chair and setting it back at his desk. He took a second to stare at the scroll again, then sighed, choosing instead to roam the castle halls and clear his head. 

A chirp sounded behind him. Ruddiger, he recognized the sound immediately. His raccoon scampered up his side and rested on his shoulders, flicking his tail in Varian’s face. 

“Wha-- Hey stop that!” Varian snickered and swatted at Ruddiger’s tail. The raccoon smiled, if a raccoon could smile of course, seemingly satisfied with the boy’s change in mood. 

Varian shook his head and walked around the castle, staring at the floor and going through what he had translated so far, much preferring the absentminded review over anything else. He failed to notice anyone who walked near him, crashing into someone the second he turned the corner.

“Agh! I'm so sorry!” He snapped his head up as he regained his balance. “Oh! Um. Hi, Rapunzel.” 

“Hey!” She waved enthusiastically, her staple smile as wide as ever. It fell slightly after the initial greeting, concern replacing it. “Are you ok, Varian?”

“Hm? Yeah-- Yeah I’m just a little spacey.” Varian shrugged and chuckled nervously. Rapunzel started to speak again but was interrupted by Ruddiger’s chirping. The raccoon hopped off his shoulder and sprinted down the hallway. Varian ran and called after him, happy to have the excuse to end the conversation before it began.

“Wait up!” Rapunzel shouted behind him and raced to catch up.

* * *

“And now for the last stop on our tour, the balcony!” Lance spoke with a smile as he opened the balcony door. “Well, technically the last stop is the kitchen but I’m banned till further notice. Pro tip! A meatball canon, while awesome in concept, not so awesome in reality.”

The aristocrats following him laughed awkwardly, a few not trying to hide their annoyance with sighs and muttering. Their chatter was interrupted by a rumble beneath them. The ground below started to shake, part of it opening up to make room for the large red rock shooting up. It crashed into the balcony, taking off a large chunk. One of the guests lost their balance and fell over the edge, barely caught by Lance who was barely holding on himself. 

“Ok biceps! Let’s do this!” Lance grunted out, sliding across the floor under the weight. He slipped as well, the both of them yelling as they raced to the ground. 

Rapunzel gasped, her and Varian’s attention drifting away from the runaway raccoon. Rapunzel let down her hair and whipped it around a lamppost, catching the two of them and launching them into a nearby haystack. 

Rapunzel sighed and tied her hair up again. “I call _that_ the slingshot.” 

“Give it up for Princess Rapunzel!” Lance spoke through panicked laughter, smiling as the onlookers cheered in response.

“Oh!” Rapunzel rubbed the back of her neck. “Just um, doin’ my part.”

“Seems we’ve got some new additions.” Varian poked at the rock, jumping back instantly. “That’s weird. Rapunzel, come check this out.”

“Yeah?” Rapunzel walked over to him leaning down to inspect the rock. 

“I uh-- I don’t know how to explain it exactly? Just--” Varian sighed. “Just put your hand on it.”

Rapunzel, while confused, complied, taking her hand and putting it gently on the rock. She gasped and lifted the hand, looking over to Varian. “Was that...Cassandra?”

“Blondie!” Eugene called after her, racing over to where the two of them stood. “Is everyone ok?”

“Yeah, just-- yeah. Everyone’s ok.” Rapunzel sighed and looked past the courtyard, noticing the scampering raccoon run out into town. “Oh! Ruddiger!”

“Right!” Varian shook his head, turning away from the red rocks. “Alright nerds, I gotta go chase Ruddiger around the kingdom.”

“Wha-- nerds? You’re calling us nerds? _You?_ ” Eugene groaned as Varian flipped him off, running into town after his pet. “Kids these days. So disrespectful.”

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well, while he’s off doing that, we are going to figure out what this new rock is.” 

“Ruddiger!” Varian called after his raccoon, tripping over his feet to catch up to him. “Ruddiger wait up!”

“Ruddi--” Varian ran into one of the people walking past, falling backward onto the ground. “Shit, not again.”

The person scoffed and rolled their eyes, muttering insults as they passed. Varian shrugged and pushed himself up, looking around for a familiar striped tail. His head shot up at the sound of a chirp, he whipped around and chased after it, though he started to get confused the further he ran. This was unusual for him, running off without warning, not looking back to see if he was following him. He cornered the raccoon in an alley, taking a second to catch his breath. 

“Ha! I got you!” Varian wheezed and pumped his fist in the air. “Buddy?”

Ruddiger was sprinting in circles, looking around as if he was searching for something. The panic increased as well as the red substance that crawled up the animal's legs. 

“Woah, hey calm down!” Varian knelt down and tried to get the animal’s attention, though his efforts proved useless. The red covered Ruddiger entirely, freezing him in a state of terror. Varian’s eyes went wide. “Ok. This just got a lot worse.”

“Hey, Max, it's ok! They’re only rocks!” Lance attempted to calm down Maximus, who was currently racing around in circles. The horse shook his head and galloped away, leaving just the three of them to wonder what had happened.

“Ok, something’s definitely up.” Eugene looked around at the panicked citizens, some jumping and running away, others curled up in a ball on the ground. 

“Has everyone gone crazy?” Lance asked. His head perked up at something they could not see, face morphing into sheer terror. He screamed and ran away. “Cl-- Clown-spider! Clown-spider! No you can’t make me sing!”

“Clow-- what?” Eugene looked over to Rapunzel, who shrugged. He sighed. “Well, Lance has always been scared of that sort of thing.”

“You think these rocks are making people see their worst fears?”

“Oh I know they are.” Eugene noticed her sudden confusion and squeezed her hand. “Saw them before, in the Dark Kingdom. They went away once you were there but...they were not fun.”

Rapunzel put her hand on his cheek, squeezing the hand he held as to comfort him. They both jumped at the sudden tap on her shoulder and turned around. 

“Hello again!” Varian waved nervously, Ruddiger in hand. “I um-- well, I found Ruddiger.”

“What...happened to him?” Rapunzel leaned down and poked the raccoon, finding him to be as hard as stone. 

“I’m not sure exactly. This red stuff started crawling all over him and then he just...froze.”

“ _Shit._ ” Eugene rubbed his hands over his face. “We better find out a way to reverse this and _fast._ ”

Rapunzel winced in pain as the hand he had gripped on hers squeezed harder. “Eugene you’re--”

She stopped, looking over to him to see the look of terror on his face. He wasn’t staring at anything, really, more dissociated if anything else. His hands were shaking, she didn’t have to look to tell, she could feel it. Varian’s concern grew with hers, glancing between the two of them. Eugene started to hyperventilate, eyes going wide and muttering things to himself. 

“Is he ok?” Varian set Ruddiger down and walked toward them, noticing the red start to crawl up his free hand. 

“No no no, Eugene!” Madeline cut between them, appearing from seemingly nowhere, putting her hands to his face. “Look at me, honey. Just focus on me. You’re ok.”

“What?” He responded absentmindedly, his eyes flicked up to meet hers.

“It’s not real, ok? Just look at me. She’s ok, you’re both ok.” Madeline ignored her own panic, staring through his hand, panic subsiding as the red disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief and hugged him, squeezing him tightly before letting go. “It seems we got here just in time.”

“We?”

Adira popped up behind him. “Hello Fishskin.”

Eugene groaned, stepping to the side to take Rapunzel’s hand again. “Adira, always a pleasure.”

Adira smirked, resting her arm around Madeline’s shoulder. “Oh I know it is.”

Varian almost knocked her over as he ran to hug her. “Adira!”

She smiled and patted his head. “Hello, nephew.”

He let go and looked at both of them. “So, um-- is-- is my dad doing ok?”

“Him and Hector are making sure New Corona stays calm while we figure out how to fix this issue.” Adira waited for him to let go before slipping her hand around Madeline’s, squeezing it tight. 

Madeline neglected to comment on it, nor the slight shake of her hand as she did so. “We’re here to help, however we can.” 

“That’s good, Madeline. We could really use an expert here.” Rapunzel chuckled nervously. “Do you know how to stop it?”

“Sadly, no, I do not. Simply how to delay its more...deadly effects. When it was just the moonstone causing the rock’s spread, we did what we could to appease it. Though, I doubt that method would be of much use now.” 

Rapunzel frowned. “I guess not.” She sighed, rubbing her free hand against her forehead. “There has to be another way.” 

“I um-- I-- I think I might have an idea.” Varian waved again, speaking quieter than before, though with the current situation they chose not to say anything about it, instead staying quiet and letting him speak. “Most-- most of the rocks that reach the surface have larger um-- well I guess roots would be the word, let’s go with that. I was thinking that ma- maybe if we found a particularly large group of them we could-- we could cut off their power?” 

“Oh we could _so_ cut off their power.” Rapunzel smirked and said in a joking voice, happy to see his nervousness fade, if only slightly. 

“Heh, well, we’d just need a cavern that runs deep enough to find them.” 

“I know just the place! Ok team,” Rapunzel turned to face them all. “Varian and I will find a way to cut off the rock’s power, and while we’re doing that, you three can find a way to keep the citizens calm.” 

“Speaking of calm, where’s Lance?” Eugene chuckled at the thought of his panicked state, scared to death of some combination of a clown and spider.

“I’m right here. Hi Adira, bye Adira.” Lance spoke quickly as he sprinted past them. He groaned as Eugene caught him by his shirt collar, stopping him in his tracks.

“Sorry buddy, you’re with us.”

* * *

Varian tried to hold back the bile that rose in his throat as he counted the vials in his bag. He counted himself lucky replicating it was easy, any time spent on the solution made him sick to his stomach. He had plenty left of it from his last attempt at figuring out the rocks, another thing he was lucky for. Though, using them like this, it still hurt. 

“You ok, Varian?” Rapunzel put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. 

“Yeah-- yeah I’m fine.” He laughed nervously and shut the bag tight, not wanting to spend another second looking at its contents. He threw it over his shoulder and put on his best smile. “Let’s do this.”

* * *

“We got this. Yup! No problem. No problem at all. We’ll be fine. We got this.” Varian mumbled to himself, gripping the straps of his backpack so tight they could rip.

Rapunzel paused, opening her notebook to add a tick mark before turning back to him. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“What? Yeah totally.” Varian gave a quick thumbs up. “Yup. Doing great.” 

“You’ve said the phrase ‘No problem, we’ve got this.’ 23 times now.” She opened her notebook and showed him a page. “Look, I’m keeping track.” 

He snorted and shook his head, continuing to walk. “Seriously, I’m fine. Just you know, trying not to set off the three thousand traps down here!”

“Aw, don’t worry! We’ve been down here enough there’s no way we could--” Just as she started to speak, Pascal shot his tongue at a fly on one of the torches, knocking it back. “You just love proving me wrong, don’t you?” 

The floor fell out from under them, opening up like a door, making them both fall to the center. Rapunzel managed to pull herself out, hopping onto the other side. Varian, distracted by the vials that fell out of his pack, did not fare as well, slipping off the ground and into the hole. 

“Agh! Hold on!” Rapunzel pulled out the beads in her hair and threw her hair down, sighing in relief when he managed to grab on. She managed to pull him up, letting out a huff as he pulled himself onto the ground. “You ok?”

“Yeah-- yeah I’m fine. But,” Varian opened the bag, pushing the items around. “We’ve only got a few vials left.” 

“We’ll just have to make them count then!” She held out her hand as to lead him away, choosing not to comment on how he shoved the other hand in his pocket the second she looked at it, nor how tightly he gripped her hand as they walked away.

* * *

“So! What exactly would you recommend for helping the citizens?” Eugene spoke with a smile, attempting to channel his inner Rapunzel and maintain a positive attitude. 

“Well, um, I just kind of, ignored it.” Madeline looked to the side, chuckling nervously.

“Ah, yes, ignoring it. Always a good plan. Well, in this case, I think it might be just what the people need.” 

Madeline raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“What they need is a distraction. Something to take their mind of all that’s going on. So!” He clapped his hands together. “We’re putting on a talent show!” 

“That is...obnoxiously cheesy.” Lance laughed.

“Yeah, well, I don’t see anyone else coming up with ideas.”

Adira raised her hand. 

Eugene sighed and turned to her. “What?”

“A fight. Citywide brawl, last one standing wins.” 

“Absolutely not.” 

Madeline patted her on the back, giggling at her dramatized sigh. One of the citizens, Nigel, raced past them, yelling something about dragons before he froze in place, the scream cutting off halfway.

“Looks like we’ll have to start now.”

* * *

“We’re almost there, Varian. Have that solution of yours ready ok?” She waited for a response of some sort. She’d been trying to keep them talking, some semblance of a conversation to take their minds off of the rock’s hallucinations. He’d been quite as of late, not responding to this question either. She stopped and turned around, letting go of his hand. “Varian I know these rocks are messing with you, but you have to remember they’re just visions. Once we use those solutions on the rocks they’ll go away, you just have to hold out until then.”

“I’ll be fine, Princess.” He spoke quietly, avoiding looking her in the eyes. 

“If you’re sure…” She sighed as he walked in front of her, muttering things she could hardly make out. She caught a glimpse of his hand, one he’d been so adamant on keeping hidden, though the bright red glow from his glove was hard to ignore. She grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

“Rapunzel what are you--”

“Varian. What is this?”

“It’s nothing! Really, I’m fine--”

“Considering you’re a few minutes away from being paralyzed, I think not!” She winced as he jumped in response, noticing the red creep further up his hand. “Sorry, I just-- I--” She sighed. “Varian this could be serious.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I know what you’re seeing has to be scary, and I know it’s hard for you, but please, they’re just visions. They’re not real.” 

Varian’s expression changed, morphing from fear to anger, frustration. “But they are.”

“What do you--”

“Everyone else gets the _luxury_ of these fake illusions. Stupid shit like baked goods coming to life, or some supersized spider. I don’t get that!” The red crawled further up his arm. “Instead, I see every mistake I've made shoved back in my face! I see my dad being slowly encased in that stupid amber, and he’s begging me to help him, for once in my life to try and amend for everything I’ve done but I’m to fucking scared to face him! I’m too scared to face anyone!”

“Varian, please, you need to calm down--”

“I can’t! Trust me, if I was able to be anything resembling calm right now I would jump at the chance but I just can’t do it! Not with everything riding on this working out, not with this stupid serum--” 

“What’s wrong with the serum?” Rapunzel put her hands on his shoulders, trying to stop the red from growing, it slowed, but only slightly.

“It’s-- it’s the amber, Rapunzel.” 

She stayed silent, looking behind him into the bag, a familiar yellow glow coming from it. 

“I-- I could barely manage to even _make_ this stuff let alone use it. It took days for me to even bring myself to touch the components and I kept getting fucking sick halfway through I just-- I don’t know if I can do this, and-- and I can’t afford to mess up right now. I can’t afford to make another mistake like this I-- I--” He stopped himself, letting out a shaky sigh and glancing down at his arm, the red had crawled its way up to his neck, spreading down to the rest of his body.

“Varian, hey, look at me.” Rapunzel shook him slightly to get his attention. “Don’t look at that ok? Don’t focus on anything else.” 

“Rapunzel I-- I can’t--”

“Please, just try.” She sighed, taking a second to contemplate her words. “Ok, just, take a second to breathe ok? Watch me, not the rocks, just focus on this.”

He nodded, trying to slow his breathing. He shut his eyes out of habit, something he used often in an effort to calm himself down. They shot open at the sound of a blade swinging down, the red spreading further despite their efforts.

“I can’t-- I can’t do this Rapunzel.”

“You can. You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.” She smiled and squeezed his shoulders, happy to see the red crawling back, if only a little.

“Ha, you mean it?”

“Yes, I do.” She smiled. “You’re brave, Varian. You’ve stood up against stuff a lot worse than a few dumb rocks.” 

“But what if I can’t do it? What if it doesn’t work or--”

“Hey.” She gripped his shoulders, panic increasing slightly as the red started to travel down again. “Hey, it’ll be fine. If this doesn’t work, we’ll just try something else. It’s trial and error, just like any other experiment. You’re going to make some mistakes before you get it right, don’t let those mistakes keep you from doing good, ok?” 

Varian smiled. “Thanks, Rapunzel. You’re...really amazing.”

“Aw, I think you’re awesome too.” She ruffled his hair and took his hand again, happy to see the red fading away. “Now, we’ve got some rocks to kill.”

* * *

“Welcome one and all to Corona’s first-ever talent show!” Eugene shouted from atop a makeshift wooden stage, a crowd of people they had managed together watched anxiously. “Now, let’s turn up the talent!”

“We should’ve gone with a brawl.” Adira sighed and watched the crowd's reactions, worried murmurs and whispers, not a hint of any emotion outside of fear. 

Madeline chuckled, though she shared that concern. It seemed people were afraid of a wide range of things, no matter the act, someone ended up freaking out. 

“Gather close, one and all, for the truly astounding feats, the likes of which you have never seen before. Standing beside me today is a young woman, my sister.” Kiera ran wildly along the stage, raising her arms to her sister to show her off. “You may know her as Catelina, but I know her as the eighth wonder of the world!”

“Oh no.” Eugene whispered under his breath.

“A girl who possesses a singular talent that is, I guarantee, the most stupendous, the most eye-popping, the most fantastical spectacle in the world! Feast your eyes upon…” Kiera looked over to Catalina, whose eyes began to glow a bright red. “The Beast!”

“Now _there’s_ a pair that knows how to have a good time.” Adira watched in amazement as the girl transformed into a large, ferocious beast. 

The crowd panicked screams ringing out every which way as they scattered and sprinted in the courtyard. Madeline sighed. “It seems we’re the only ones who share that sentiment.” 

Eugene sighed and rubbed his hand on his forehead, going through any other options of calming the crowd. He looked around, trying to find something that could take their mind off the situation at hand. His eyes fell on Lance, currently trying to coach Atilla on singing. This could work.

“Lance! Buddy!” Eugene walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Huh-- what?”

“I just figured out who’s up next. You.” He smiled and pointed to him. “You are gonna calm down the people of Corona, by singing.” 

Lance laughed. “What?”

* * *

“Alright, Varian! You said you wanted a big underground cavern, I present to you, The Demanitus Chamber!” She motioned around her, rocks crumbled and fell, though they were not the focus, instead the focus fell on a monumentous machine, one covered completely in a mountain of red rocks. 

Varian let out a breathy sigh. “It's-- it’s amazing!” 

She laughed. “You should’ve seen it before all these red rocks.”

“You-- you've actually seen this before?” 

She smiled and scratched Pascal’s head. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Man, I would’ve loved to ask Demanitus about all this.” 

“Technically you still could! You know what the answer would be?” She imitated a monkey, chattering and giggling to herself. 

He laughed and hopped down the stairs, both of them reaching the bottom fairly quickly. He took out one of the vials and looked back at her. “Alright, we’re at the base. Encasing it amber _should_ be able to stop the rock’s effect--”

More rocks grew from the base, shaking and knocking them around. Rapunzel let down her hair and tied it around him. “Agh! Less talking, more pouring!”

“Right-- right let’s just do that.” Varian shakily moved his hand up to one of the rocks, trying to keep the sick feeling in his stomach at bay, trying to ignore the screams and accusations flooding his ears. The second the liquid touched it he lifted the vial, racing back to hide behind Rapunzel.

They waited for a moment, looking for an explosion or burst of amber, yet nothing happened, instead, the liquid melted seamlessly with the red rocks. They relaxed. 

“I-- I don’t understand, that should’ve worked!” He pounded his hands against his head, taking a second to assess the situation. “Wait, agh, I’m stupid! The red rocks are entirely separate things, why the hell would this have even worked!” 

“So you’re saying that solution only works on black rocks?” Rapunzel scanned the area and noticed a single black shard poking out above the rest. 

“Yeah, well, what’s left of it.” Varian searched through his bag and pulled out the remaining serum. “We only have one more vial, and I-- I don’t even see any black rocks!” 

“I do!” Rapunzel pointed up to the shard. 

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

* * *

“Time to sing in public Lance…” The clown-faced spider smiled down to him, a malicious smile that sent shivers down his spine. “Don’t mess up.” 

“Yes, yes, time to sing. All eyes will be on you when you fail.” It giggled to itself as he pushed him out onto the stage. Lance stood there, unable to move, red creeping up his leg ever so slightly. 

“You got this Lance!” Eugene shouted from the crowd, giving him a thumbs-up, a wide grin plastered on his face.

Lance took in a deep breath and turned around, glaring up at the spider. “You know what? I’m bigger than you. I’ve been scared of you since I was 5, I’m better than that now. You don’t scare me anymore.”

The sadistic smile faded, replaced with fear. The spider shrank, quite literally, going down in size till it was the size of an average spider. Lance squashed it under his boot and walked back out. He sighed, the plastered on a wide grin, one that went toe to toe with Eugene’s. 

“ _When you’re scared and stricken and losing your cool._ ”

“I knew you could do it buddy.” Eugene said softly, laughing at the slight crack in the man’s voice.

“ _When you’re such a chicken, you feel like a fool._ ” Lance put a hand against his forehead, exaggerating emotion. “ _Don’t freeze up! Just ease up! Take one deep breath, and don’t forget this little rule._ ”

Lance smirked, snapping his hand and hopping off the stage. He started dancing, humming and grunting to the tune of a song no one knew. Despite their fear, the others began to laugh, not to mock, simply out of enjoyment. Lance held out his hand to Eugene and pulled him in to dance, singing all the while. 

“Who knew he could sing!” Adira said through laughs, loud cackling as she slapped her leg. The laughter quieted when she caught a glance at Madeline, who stood in front of her, one hand extended.

“May I have this dance?” 

Adira shrugged and smiled. “Let’s show them how it’s done.” 

Madeline laughed with her as Adira dipped her low, then threw her up, both of them doing various tricks for no other reason but to show off. Any fears were forgotten in an instant, those who joined in laughed and danced along to Lance’s singing. Eugene pulled Red and Catalina into their dance, the four of them circling around each other.

* * *

“We’re just tackling all my fears today aren’t we?” Varian laughed nervously as he climbed his way up the ruins of the machine.

“You’re doing great Varian!” Rapunzel shouted down to him, already almost to the top. Rocks crumbled again, shaking around them. “Watch out!” 

“Wha-- _shit._ ” Varian found himself sighing as the rocks fell down on top of him, knocking him off the ledge. 

Rapunzel looked down and threw her hair, managing to catch him. He bounced and tugged her hair, making her fall over as well. She threw up what was free and swung it over an extended part of the machine, leaving both of them hanging off one end. 

“ _Why_ must I fall off of every height I come across? Is that a requirement or something?!” Varian held tightly onto her hair.

“I think you’re magnetically attracted to the ground.” Rapunzel laughed a little, then sighed.

“Hey, you ok?” 

“Hm? Yeah I’m good. We should figure out how to get up though.” 

He frowned. “You know the whole ‘you can talk to me’ thing doesn’t have to be one-sided.” 

“Honestly, it’s--”

“No big deal? Not a problem? Not our priority at the moment? Pot calling the kettle black. Disappointing, princess.” He tilted his head, giving a knowing expression to her embarrassed one. “Is it the rocks?”

“No! Well, yes, kind of.” She glanced to the ground, then to him and sighed. “ _This_ is my worst fear.”

“What? Dangling over an endless chasm? That’s kind of...bland.” 

Rapunzel chuckled. “No, no it's not that.” She glanced to the ground again. “I… I’m afraid for Cassandra.” 

Varian stayed silent at that, joking tone leaving at the mention of her name.

“I don’t know why she’s doing this, and that’s what scares me. It could be an accident, she could be just as scared as we are, or it could be purposeful. Either way I…” Tears formed in her eyes. “I wish I could help her.” 

“Well we can help her right now by fixing this, and after this… if anyone could get through to her, it's you.” Varian smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked above him and squinted his eyes for a second, then looked back down. “Throw me up.”

“What?”

“If you climbed up a little, then jumped down to the ledge right there, you should be able to well, launch me, close enough to the black rock.” 

Rapunzel nodded and followed his suggestion, leaping down to the ground and throwing him in the air. He hit the top of the machine with a thud, lost his balance a bit, then regained it and continued his hike up the mountain of red. Rocks started to grow toward her, pushing her to the edge of the ledge. She put her hands against it trying to push it back, then sensed something, _someone_ familiar.

“Cassandra?”

Cassandra shot up at the mention of her name, looking around frantically for her friend. The tears that had been falling down her face only grew in intensity when she saw no one there, the only thing keeping her company being the red rocks she created. She put her hands on them, giving quiet apologies. 

“Cass, it’s going to be ok. We’re figuring this out, I just need you to stay calm.” Rapunzel spoke softly, hoping her friend could hear her. 

“Rapunzel-- Raps, I’m so sorry. I-- I don’t know how to make it stop.” 

“It’s ok, we’re going to fix this. Just hold out a little bit longer.” Rapunzel tried her best to ignore the red that spread all over her body, covering her almost completely. She had to keep talking, as long as she was able. “Varian! Hurry!” 

“Trust me, I know!” Varian shouted down as he made his way to the rock. The red started to crawl up again, yet he ignored it. “Don’t even fucking think about it.” 

Shockingly enough, that worked, the red cowered and crawled back onto the rocks. He snorted and kept climbing, taking out the last vial of serum and holding it over the rock. He took in a deep breath, avoiding shutting his eyes, muttering bits of encouragement to himself, and poured it over the black rock. 

“Ha! It worked!” He allowed himself a moment to celebrate before hopping down from rock to rock, avoiding the amber as it grew around him. Part of it coiled around his ankle, making him trip and fall over the edge. 

Rapunzel caught him before he hit the ground, then set him down. “Wow, you have _really_ bad luck.”

* * *

Eugene laughed as the rocks retreated into the ground, pulling Lance into a tight hug. “You did it buddy! I knew you had it in you!”

“Ha, I really did.”

* * *

Cassandra watched as the rocks sunk into the grass, fading back into their natural black shade. She felt relieved, yet she felt something else as well.

“I see you got yourself into another problem that Rapunzel had to fix.” The girl appeared behind her, chuckling softly. 

“It wasn’t her, it was Varian.” Anger, that’s what she felt. Frustration. But why?

“Ah, the boy. I don’t know why I should be surprised, he’s quite resourceful.”

“He’s a _brat!_ ” A surge of rocks appeared in response to her anger, rocks much larger and sharper than what she was used to.

This did not scare the girl, instead making her laugh. “Not fond of him, I assume?” 

“Why are you _here?_ ” 

“You know, I’ve noticed something. You always get accusatory when I ask you difficult questions. Why is that? Are you afraid of the answer, or do you just not know?” 

Cassandra stayed quiet, instead glaring daggers through the girl’s translucent form.

“What you need is control, Cassandra. And I know just how you’ll get it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup! I skipped a lot of episodes from the big bad wolf to here and uh. Yeah I really just don't like season 3 guys. As for why I skipped those specific episodes though, I either didn't think I could change enough for it to be worth writing, or I saw the episode as useless with furthering the plot. There's a lot of chapters planned and I'd like to get this fic done before next year so,,,, not going to rewrite the entire season. that would be An Undertaking.
> 
> Oh! one more thing! I've received a few questions about what exactly the 'family dynamic' is here, so I made a family tree, because, well, I have no life. Here ya go: https://christmas-gues.tumblr.com/post/629000621145587712/due-to-questions-about-who-exactly-is-the-parent


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So sorry for the late update! Grades were due yesterday, and I hade to scramble to catch up in time. Online school is actual hell guys, of course that's entirely on me. I'll try and stay on schedule for next week, so expect a chapter next Tuesday as usual.

“Get more guards! A prisoner has escaped!” A man called out to the others, readying his spear for any sudden movement. 

“Hmph, amateurs.” Caine muttered to herself, watching hoards of guards form in a circle. They expected her to attack, perhaps release her allies and start a riot. The very notion of doing so seemed foolish to her, as she was very clearly outnumbered, though she was glad they underestimated her. She grabbed one of the guards as they ran to join the others, putting her hand over his mouth. 

“Hey-- What are you--” She cut him off, taking a dagger from the man’s belt and putting it to his throat.

“Oh don’t go making a fuss.” She chuckled. “I just need to borrow your clothes.”

“You _what_ \--” Without another word she slammed his head against the wall. She checked quickly to make sure no one heard the clang of metal against stone, then grabbed his helmet. 

“Thank you for the donation.” She took the rest of his armor, shoving parts of her hair into the helmet, just in case they might recognize her for it. She walked out calmly, joining the other guards in the circle.

“Took you long enough.” One of the guards, one she assumed to be the leader of their group, muttered.

“Sorry sir.” She did her best impression of a sheepish guard. “The prisoner, I think I saw them climb out one of the windows and head out to town.” 

“Why didn’t you _lead_ with that? Honestly.” The guard groaned, then turned to the rest. “The prisoner has been seen, head out into town, don’t let her escape!” 

A chorus of yes sir’s sounded as they ran out of the prison. Caine rolled her eyes.

“You gonna let us out or what?” One of her men asked as soon as the guards were out of earshot.

“Hm…” She pretended to think, then smiled. “Nah.”

“What?!” The man shouted, a booming voice meant to frighten her, not that it did. “You traitorous _wretch._ ”

She laughed and flipped him off, walking away without looking back. “Have fun in jail, jackass.”

* * *

“It’s no use sir, we’ve been searching all night! She’s nowhere in the capital!” The guard ran his hands down his face, exhausted. 

“This makes no _sense_. The others are still accounted for, the borders have been blocked off, the entire _capital_ has been searched. There’s no way she could have gotten away from us!” The man punched the wall.

The guard jumped, then straightened himself up. “Well, um, sir, she could have disguised herself so we’d let her pass? I mean, that’s what she’s known for after all--”

“Does that matter now?! She’s escaped!” The man took a moment to collect himself and sighed. “Alert the Captain.”

“Yes sir!” The guard saluted and ran toward the castle, leaving the rest of the men a moment to catch their breath.

“Gotta find the Captain, gotta find the Captain, gotta find the--” He muttered to himself, sprinting down the castle’s hallway to where the Captain could usually be found. He slammed into someone, falling over with a solid thud. 

“You ok?” Lance leaned down and offered his hand to help him up.

“Oh! Captain!” The guard happily accepted the hand and shot up, saluting him before relaxing slightly. “One of the prisoners has escaped, we need your help.”

“Which one?” Rapunzel, who was standing next to him, raised an eyebrow.

“Lady Caine, your majesty.” 

She narrowed her eyes, looking over to Lance, waiting for his reaction.

“What happened exactly?” 

The guard then proceeded to ramble, going into extreme detail to explain what had happened that night. Lance raised his hand to stop him from speaking once the man’s ramble was simply a recount of his patrol. He looked over to Rapunzel, then back to the guard.

“Do you mind if the queen and I speak alone for a moment?” 

“Um, no, not at all sir.” He shook his head violently and saluted yet again before running off.

“You didn’t have to lea-- Oh nevermind.” Lance sighed, then spoke in one breath. “Rapunzel please help I have no idea what to do.” 

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, Lance. But, if you’re really feeling nervous about this,” She smiled. “I could come with you.” 

“Don’t you have stuff to do today? You know, Queen things?” 

“I mean yeah, but I can figure that out later. I feel like we never hang out just the two of us, and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so! And, um, I...I kind of want to talk to her.” She rubbed her hand on the back of her neck.

“If you’re really ok with it...I guess I’d have no choice but to allow it.” He laughed nervously, before speaking again in one breath. “Thank you so much I owe you my life.” 

Rapunzel laughed and took his arm, leading him to the throne room.

* * *

“So it’ll be just me today?” Eugene asked, getting up from his lazy position on the throne, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Yup!” Rapunzel answered excitedly. 

“King for a day, now _that_ sounds like a good time.” Eugene chuckled, leaning back against the throne, hands behind his head.

“I’m sure it will be. Now, if you need any help just ask Nigel.” She kissed him quickly and turned to walk away. “Love you!”

“Love you too, Sunshine. And don’t worry, everything will be fine.” Eugene let himself relax further the second they left, eyes drooping down as he started to fall asleep. He jumped at a man clearing his throat, Nigel, and groaned when the man dropped a comically large scroll in his lap.

“The schedule for today, your highness.”

He took the scroll and slid it over his face. “Great.”

* * *

“So! Where do you think we should start searching?” Rapunzel leaned down and looked up at him, hands behind her back. 

“Well, she escaped last night, so she shouldn’t be too far from here. There’s a hideout nearby that a lot of thugs stay in. We could start there?” Lance spoke nervously, fiddling with his hands.

“Sounds great!” Rapunzel gave a quick thumbs-up, then fell back into their established silence. She wouldn’t call it comfortable, not really, she could practically feel the nervous energy radiating off of him. It was weird to her, how uncomfortable he seemed. He was always so animated, extraverted. It was incredibly out of character. After another few moments, she spoke again. “Hey, Lance--”

“Shh.” He put his finger over his mouth, telling her to stay quiet, ducking behind a bush and pointing to a nearby tree. 

Rapunzel looked at the tree. To her surprise, Lady Caine was there, leaning against it, eating an apple. She seemed completely relaxed, not at all aware they were there. She leaned forward slightly, stepping onto a branch and alerting her. She groaned as the woman shot up and sprinted away.

“Let’s go!” She yelled, no longer concerned about hiding her location. 

“Is that?-- Shit.” Caine looked back for a moment, attempting to see who was following her. The princess, well, queen now, as she had heard, was following her, as well as a man she didn’t recognize, though based off the quick look she had gotten, he was the Captain. She started to run faster, ducking and jumping over as many branches as she could find, trying to use her greater agility to get some distance. 

“You’re not getting away from us that easy!” Rapunzel laughed and let down her hair, whipping it around a tree branch and swinging forward, gaining back any distance she may have lost. 

“Shit shit shit shit--” Caine muttered to herself, increasing her speed as much as she could manage.

“Lance!” Rapunzel called to him, throwing a frying pan for him to catch. He nodded, understanding her plan without any further communication. 

Caine looked back again, if only for a moment, to see what she was doing, when she turned around, her face was met with a frying pan. Rapunzel smiled and high fived him, taking back the frying pan and spinning it. 

“So I guess we tie her up and take her in?” Lance leaned down, poking at her face to make sure she was unconscious. 

Rapunzel picked up a part of her hair. “Actually, I had something else in mind.”

* * *

Caine woke up slowly at first, opening and closing her eyes as they readjusted to the light. She shot up after a moment, struggling against what she assumed to be rope, though, upon further examination, she noticed the texture was off. It was...hair.

“Ah! You’re awake!” Rapunzel said with a smile. It infuriated her.

“Sadly, yes. Was the unorthodox method of keeping my contained really necessary?” Caine looked down at the hair around her, she noticed she wasn’t tied to anything, then stood up.

“I find it more effective than rope.” Rapunzel shrugged. “Caine, I--”

“That’s _Lady_ Caine to you Blondie, though I suppose you wouldn’t be aware of proper titles, what being a flower child and all.” Caine chuckled, her amusement growing as the man behind her glared.

“Fine, Lady Caine, I-- we would have turned you in the second we were able to capture you, but I thought we might try something else.” 

“Ah, I didn’t take you for the type to kill on sight. Him, maybe.” Caine’s suspicions were only confirmed as the man’s glare did not cease.

“No! No, that’s not what I meant.” Rapunzel sighed, running her hands through her hair. “I wanted to pardon you.”

Caine choked, losing her confident persona, if for but a moment. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am! Cai-- Lady Caine, I think we started off on the wrong foot.”

“Really? That’s what you’d call this?”

“I’m not saying you were wrong to do what you did. In fact, I technically did the same thing myself just a few months ago. You were completely justified in your hatred. What my father did to yours was unacceptable, despite the reasons he had. I want to make it up to you.” 

Caine thought about it, genuinely considering her offer. A chance at redemption, a chance her father could never even _dream_ of, and it was being handed to her on a silver platter. But, she wasn’t her father, she wasn’t a petty thief, she couldn’t apologize for her wrongdoings and move on. 

“There’s no chance in _hell_ I’d ever take pity from the likes of you, some prissy little bitch who wants to play hero.” She sneered, pulling against her bonds despite knowing the effort was useless.

Lance had had enough, he grabbed the hair tied around her and slammed her against a tree. “Now listen here _Lady Caine_ ,” He spat out her name. “You’re being given a complete wipe of any crime you’ve committed, and from what I can guess, that’s a long list. You shouldn’t be _getting_ this chance, but since the Queen decided to be nice, you’re getting it. So I think you should be a little _grateful._ ” 

“Wait, Lance, it’s ok! Put her down!” She waited for a second for him to comply, then spoke again. “I know we’re playing good cop bad cop right now but I don’t think threatening her will get her on our side.”

“No, your friend’s got the right idea.” Caine collected herself, standing straighter, yet relaxed at the same time. “Us criminals prefer to speak through our actions, not our words.”

Before Rapunzel could get another word in, Caine tugged her forward, making her fall onto Lance. It knocked her off balance slightly, but she managed to stay on both feet and wriggle her way out while they were disorientated. 

“Well, I gotta go. Can’t say it's been fun, your highness.” She gave a quick wave and sprinted off again.

Lance sighed. “Why do these situations always end up in extra cardio?”

* * *

“So what’s first on the list?” Eugene shot up from the throne and hopped down the steps, looking over the list.

“Oh that’s not your schedule, sire, that’s mine. Your’s is actually quite simple.” Nigel snatched the paper from his hands and rolled it up. He ignored Eugene’s confused glare and continued to speak. “You will be speaking with the High Council, then once all affairs there have been solved, you will speak with the Dispatch Council.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, though the conversations may last a few hours each. This won’t be as easy as you may think.” Nigel rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself quietly. “Of course, you might still find it difficult.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” Eugene grumbled and kicked open the door. “Hello Corona!”

The council gasped at his entrance, shock only growing as he slid into his seat, getting to a comfortable position. Nigel sighed and walked toward him, bowing down and speaking in a low voice. “Perhaps you should treat these people with a small bit of respect, your highness.”

Eugene coughed awkwardly and sat up. “Right, yeah, totally. So, uh, what’s on the table today folks?”

The noblemen looked at each other nervously before beginning to speak, talking in lower voices that gradually grew to a normal volume, attempting to keep him out of the conversation as much as possible. Eugene noticed their efforts, and took instead to listening to their conversation, avoiding giving feedback as much as he was able. 

“They are saying that there are people taking advantage of the free homes provided in the rebuilding of Corona, sire.” Nigel whispered to him. 

“Yeah, yeah I got that. Thanks.” Eugene sighed, trying his best to ignore Nigel’s comments, efforts to make him ‘understand’ what they were saying better. 

“I simply cannot see why we should be wasting funds to build housing for people who we know aren’t going to pay for them.” One nobleman spoke, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“Yes, I agree. I see no use in the rebuilding efforts at all, we should be putting more focus on getting rid of those damned rocks.” Another replied.

“Ha, yes, but then there’s the concern of that child her highness has entrusted with that task. Moving the affected parts of our capital would be safer for all of us, in fact, if the ‘research’ continues, I might find myself moving to one of the newly built houses for my own safety.” The first nobleman chuckled, others joining him.

Eugene flinched at that, though he chose to remain silent. 

“They are speaking of the alchemist, sire. There have been some concerns about his true motives.” Nigel said calmly.

Eugene slammed his hands on the table. “Yeah, I got that!” 

The noblemen slammed their mouths shut, all turning to look at him. Eugene took in a deep breath and slid his hands off the table, glaring at Nigel for a moment before looking back to the others, they slowly resumed their conversation, now avoiding the subject of concern, lest they anger him again. 

They reached no decision during the meeting, all deciding it would be best to wait for the queen’s return. Eugene found himself agreeing, not wanting to engage any further with them, in case he might lose his temper again and strangle one of them. How Rapunzel dealt with them on a daily basis was beyond him. 

“Not as easy as it looks, is it?” Nigel said with a smirk, smile not fading at Eugene’s responding groan.

* * *

“Lance, I don’t think we can keep up with her like this! Where did you say that hideout was?” Rapunzel said through panting breaths, leaping over tree roots on the forest floor. 

“Follow me, I know another route.” Lance motioned Rapunzel to follow him, using a clearer path to gain some speed. 

Caine looked back before entering the hideout, making sure they weren’t still following her. She saw no one, and figured they’d either given up or lost track of her, though knowing Rapunzel it was most likely the latter option. It didn’t matter anyway, so long as they were gone. She shrugged and entered the hideout, kicking down the door and raising her hands in victory.

“Agh, Lady Caine. Took you long enough to break out of that dump.” One of the men remarked before letting out a barked laugh. 

She rolled her eyes. “Well, that dopey king kept a damn good eye on me. Cut me some slack.”

“Sure, sure.” The man chuckled and took a gulp from his mug. He spoke again, in a quieter tone. “Good to have you back.” 

“Hmph, good to be back.” 

She took a moment to relax, grabbing herself a drink and listening in on conversations. Her break was interrupted by the door being kicked down, a familiar blonde standing in the doorway. She groaned.

“The stragglers are back. Think you guys could deal with this?” Caine tilted her head and pointed to the pair. “They're persistent.”

A few of the men stood and stretched. One spoke up. “Been pretty boring lately, might as well give it a shot.” 

Caine smirked, taking a sip of her drink and looking at the two. “Looks like the tables have turned, Blondie.”

* * *

“You don’t have to do this!” Rapunzel said as Caine finished tying the rope around them. 

“Considering you’d keep following me if I didn’t, I think this is a necessary precaution.” She smiled. “Though, even if it weren’t, this is fun.”

“Lady Caine, I know there’s good in you.”

“Would you just shut up already?!” She ran her hands over her face. “What is it with you? Not everyone’s some sad little orphan kid pushed to the side of evil by circumstance. I chose this, keeping this up is my choice and mine alone, and your pretty little words aren’t going to change that.” 

“I understand that, really, I do, the coronation was fair. But this? Why are you doing this?” 

Caine stayed quiet for a moment, considering her words before speaking again. “Because if I don’t tie you up, you’ll hunt me down. I don’t see why you think it's so awful, your boyfriend will probably pick you up in a day or so, a few hours if he’s paranoid even, and I could be gagging you right now. I’m tempted, actually.” 

“Ha, um, please don’t.” Rapunzel chuckled nervously, then sighed. “That’s not what I meant. Hijacking the coronation, capturing all those nobles, you had a motive, a good one too. But now? You did all of this to get justice for your father, but what now?” 

“I…” Caine fell into silence, suddenly unsure of what to say. She looked to the side, then the ground, anything to avoid looking her in the eyes. Their silence was cut off by a shout of triumph.

“Ha!” Lance pulled the rope off of them, setting himself and her free. “Looks like the tables have turned again Lady Caine!” 

“Wha-- How did you untie that rope?!” 

“A good thief never reveals his secrets. Let’s go Rapunzel!” Lance took Rapunzel’s hand and ran out of the room into the bar, trying to slip past the thugs before they noticed their attempt to escape. They were within a few feet of the door before it slammed shut. 

“Going somewhere?” The man responsible for shutting the door said with a smile.

Caine let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Ace.” She ignored his grumbled response.

Rapunzel turned back. “It’s not too late, Lady Caine. I promise you still have a chance.” 

“A chance?-- what the hell is she getting at Caine?” Ace narrowed his eyes, walking past the two of them to get closer to her.

“This is just how the pri-- queen is, nothing behind it.” Caine shrugged, trying best to hide the concern in her voice.

“Oh, naturally. Let’s just discount that for a moment.” Ace kept his eyes on her as he motioned some of the men to stay behind Lance and Rapunzel, keeping them trapped inside. “Not only did you get yourself _arrested,_ take two years to break yourself out, leaving _my_ men to rot, and get tailed by the Queen and the Captain of the Guard, you also can’t even manage to keep these two dopes from escaping after five fucking minutes!” 

“I told you I was a priority for the guards, no one could’ve broken out of there.” Caine slowly reached toward her knife, preparing for the inevitable.

“Oh, sure, of course. _No one_ could have broken out of jail, because no one’s better than you. I’m starting to think that’s a lie. Wanna know what else I’m thinking?” Ace smiled. “I’m thinking it’s time for a change in management.” 

Men sat up from their seats at the bar, all crowding around her. She took out her knife, pointing it frantically at them, attempting to figure out how she could take them all down, if there were five or so, she could manage it, they weren’t much for fighting outside of a solid right hook, but there were far too many. A loud clang sounded beside her, a frying pan slammed against one of the men's heads. She took the opportunity to escape, taking the frying pan and running through the opening him falling over made.

“Let’s go!” Rapunzel yelled, slamming open the door and pulling her out, Lance following behind them. She yanked the two of them behind a boulder, waiting for the men to run in a different direction. “Well, that was interesting!”

* * *

“Mind if I join you?” Arianna knocked on the door, which was already partially open.

“Uh, yeah sure. Do whatever.” Eugene mumbled, picking at his food with a fork.

“Rough day huh?” She chuckled and sat next to him. They stayed silent for a moment, Eugene simply enjoying the company. She sighed and spoke. “You know, my first day as the queen was similarly difficult.” 

“Yeah, well I bet you’ve grown up having people show you how to ‘politely show your discontent’.” Eugene made exaggerated quotation marks at that statement, using a fake British accent. 

She laughed. “I suppose you could say that. I’m sure other noble children got lessons in manners.”

He raised an eyebrow at that comment, waiting for her to elaborate.

“You’ve already been made aware of my past yearn for adventure, though I never explained what happened before that.” She sighed. “My sister and I were always more...free-spirited than most children of our status. It annoyed our parents greatly, their reputation was on the line, so they tried to fix us. Instead, we left.”

Eugene frowned, setting down his fork and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“We went adventuring throughout the seven kingdoms, making trouble wherever we saw fit, an act of rebellion to our upbringing. When we arrived in Corona, I met the king, we fell in love, and I gave up that life. By that time I’d already forced myself to forget anything I’d learned when it came to dealing with noblemen, relearning it was certainly a challenge.” 

“Ha, I bet.” 

“I chose to stay out of political affairs, in fear that I may mess up somehow, I thought myself below the council, and below my husband, despite being of similar status.” She ran her hands through her hair and looked at him. “I realize now that wasn’t the best course of action, so instead I offer you these words of advice. You are not lower than anyone in this castle, status should not be a concern when you’re all sitting at a table deciding over people’s lives. Tell them what you think, and damn the consequences, because saying something is better than saying nothing at all.” 

“Thanks your maj-- ha, Arianna.” Eugene smiled, relaxing for the first time since the day began. Nigel cleared his throat.

“Your break is over, your highness. I shall lead you to the Dispatch Council’s meeting room.” Nigel bowed.

Eugene sighed and stood up, he looked at Arianna, smiled, and stood up straighter. “Let’s do this.” 

“You’d be wise to watch what you say around these people, war is a far more sensitive topic than housing, and these people are easy to provoke.” Nigel walked a foot or so behind him, hands behind his back, face resembling a look of boredom.

“Thanks for the advice Nigel, but I’ve got a different plan.” Eugene smiled and pushed open the door, smile turning to smirk at the council’s expected silence. “Let’s get this meeting started, shall we?”

Eugene walked to his chair and plopped into it, waiting for them to begin speaking. Unlike the last council, they jumped into it immediately, voices raising from a normal tone to shouting. 

“Neserdnia has crossed a line. Their king cannot send troops to our shores and speak of peace. We need to strike before they do, silence them before we have a war on our hands.” One councilman spoke over the rest, quieting the smaller arguments. 

“Oh yeah because moving all our troops to deal with a slight concern sounds like a great idea. We should just wait for them to get here and deal with the problem then.” Another spoke.

“And what if the concerns turn out to be bigger than you thought? Then we’d have a war on our hands!” 

“Then so be it! Neserdnia has been pushing for a war for years now, we should give them what they want.”

“Are you _insane?!--_ ”

“Enough!” Eugene slammed his hands on the table, getting everyone’s attention. He took in a deep breath, and spoke again. “We’re talking about Neserdnia, right? The smallest of the seven kingdoms?”

“Yes, sire, haven’t you been pay--” The man sighed. “Yes.” 

“I’ve been there before, and I might not have talked all that much with the ruling party, but I did hear some gossip from the maids, and I don’t think they want a war.”

The man choked. “You’re basing this on rumors?”

Eugene shrugged. “I find maids give a more honest opinion on things than noblemen.” He snickered quietly at their offended glares.

“Sire, I’d advise against--” Nigel started to say, but stopped when Eugene raised his hand.

“Thanks, Nigel, but I got this.” Eugene smiled. “As I said before, Neserdnia is a small kingdom, the smallest one out of the seven. They don’t have much in terms of military power, and are well aware of that fact. I can’t see them picking a fight with the likes of Koto, let alone Corona.” 

“Why else would they be sending troops to our borders?” 

“My guess is they’re proposing a trade deal.” 

The man scoffed. “Why would they need their entire armed guard to transport goods? That’s ludicrous.”

“Well, and this is just rumor, mind you, but I happen to know Neserdnia is one of the few kingdoms with access to chocolate.” Eugene’s smile grew at their gasps. He waited for them to quiet down before speaking again. “Now, with this new information I propose we attempt to make a deal with them, get our hands on a good such as that while they’re still new to the trade.” 

The men nodded, going into separate conversations discussing the possible business deals, completely distracted from their previous discussion of war. Eugene let himself relax, glancing over to Nigel, who looked as though he were about to start a war of his very own.

“Hey, if this job is so easy, maybe I should do yours too.” Eugene chuckled to himself and watched the councilmen argue, pretending to ignore Nigel’s gasp of offense, though his smile was hard to hide.

* * *

“Ok, they’re all gone now, we need to head back to Corona.” Rapunzel looked to the other two, muttering at as low a volume as she could manage. She noticed Caine’s usual confident demeanor was no longer present, she was shaking, she looked terrified. “Are you ok, Lady Caine?” 

“Fine, just fine. You two go that way, I’ve assumed your friend knows the way back considering you found your way here without having to follow me. I’ll go the other way.” 

“Ah, no, we’re in this together.” 

“Are you fucking _stupid?_ Did you not hear a word of what happened? Those guys are going to be hunting for me over the two of you. If I go a different route, then you won’t end up dead.” Caine grumbled, voice going quieter the more she said. “I may hate your guts but I don’t want you to die, especially when this is my mistake.” 

“This wasn’t your fault. I was the one to tip him over the edge. Let’s just go together, we’ll figure it out as we go. I’m sure the three of us could take them.”

Caine punched the boulder, startling them. “What is with you?! Why won’t you just give up on me? I don’t want to be your friend, I never did, and there’s no way I’m going to be able to get out of this alive anyway, it’s _pointless,_ so why do you bother?” 

Rapunzel smiled. “Because you deserve a second chance, you and your father.”

“I know it may seem hard to get out of this, and even after we figure this out there will still be some demons that will come back to bite, but it won’t be the same then. You’ll have people to fall back on, it makes it easier.” Lance put a hand on her shoulder, smiling as well. 

She laughed, smiling despite herself. “You two aren’t going to leave me alone until I join you, aren’t you?” 

Rapunzel laughed as well. “Not a chance. So, you two have any ideas on how to get these guys off our backs?”

* * *

“Where the hell are they?” One of the thugs groaned.

“They can’t have gone far, if she’s working with the queen now they’re headed to Corona, and if they were going to Corona, _this_ is the route they would take. Doubt me again and I’ll dump you in the same cell Caine’s going.” Ace’s eyes narrowed, satisfied with the man’s squeak in fear. 

Their conversation was interrupted by a yelp, their group suddenly one man shorter. Another yelp, followed by the sound of knives slamming into a tree, shortened their group yet again. 

“It’s an ambush! Guard yourselves!” Ace called to his men, but it didn’t help. One after another men were dragged up the trees or slammed against the trunks, leaving only him and five others left to fend for themselves. 

“Gentlemen, a pleasure to see you again.” Lance stepped out from the shadows and bowed. 

Ace growled and motioned them to go after him, the five thugs racing toward him, fists raised to attack. Lance smiled, slipping to the side and dodging their attacks, he grabbed one of the men’s belts as they passed, then whipped it around the man’s legs, tying them together. 

“Alright you two, you can come out now!” Lance called as the remaining four crowded around him. Rapunzel and Caine raced out, frying pan and knife held in the same manner. 

“Look at that, I was right.” Ace smirked and went after Caine, taking out a dagger from his pocket to match her knife. 

“Guess so, what of it?” She smiled and swung at his legs, knocking him off balance. He growled, pushing himself up, punching her in the gut on his way.

“So, as far as bonding moments go, how would you rate this Lance?” Rapunzel joked as she hit a man in the face with her frying pan.

“Hm, let me think,” Lance punched one of the men in the jaw. “I’d say a solid ten. Haven’t had this much fun since Eugene and I tried to rob the Baron.” 

“Ha, I remember that. Too bad I didn’t know who that guy was, otherwise I would’ve joined you.” 

“My my you’ve gotten so loose with the law lately. Eugene’s a bad influence on you.” Lance shook his head, grabbing a man by the shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach. 

“My morals are sound as ever Lance, I’m not too concerned.” 

Ace followed his attack swiftly, using her disorientation to kick her knees. She fell over, leaving the perfect opportunity for a finishing blow. Almost too good, he thought, it almost felt wrong. Almost. 

“Caine!” Rapunzel yelled, sending a part of her hair around Ace’s wrist, pulling it back and knocking the dagger out. 

Caine smiled and swept for his legs again, grabbing his throat from below and slamming his head into the ground. She stood up, putting a foot on his head and pushing it down. “By the way Ace. I’d like to formally resign from my position.” 

Caine looked over to the other two, smiling as they knocked out the remaining men. Lance laughed at the scene. “I think they got the message.” 

“Oh yeah, these guys won’t even _think_ about messing with you now.” Rapunzel smiled, politely ignoring how Caine quite literally kicked a man while he was down, accounting it to her own form of celebration. “So, will you consider my offer.” 

“Hmmm.” Caine shrugged. “Sure, what’d you have in mind for me.” 

“You’ll see.”

* * *

Rapunzel watched as Caine leaped over a wooden wall in the courtyard, passing the other trainees as though they were taking an evening stroll, laughing maniacally as she went.

“We should make all our reformed criminals guards, this is great.” Lance said through laughs, watching as she did flips and tricks, simply to show off.

“You can leave me out, I’ve got enough work as it is.” Varian groaned, leaning against Lance. 

“Bad day?” Lance chuckled.

“The _worst._ ”

“Speak for yourself kid.” Eugene put his arm around Rapunzel’s shoulder. 

“Oh, was it that bad?” Rapunzel tilted her head. “I know Nigel can be pretty condescending at times, I should have asked someone else to help you I’m so sorry--”

“No! No, actually it went great.” Eugene smiled. “By the way, you might want to have a little chat with the High Council next time they meet. They’ve got some...strong opinions on that rebuilding plan of yours.” 

“Ah, noted.” She smiled. “Hey, if you’re so good at this whole diplomat thing, think you could start joining me for the council meetings? I’m...very bad at confrontation, and it shows.” 

“Ha, of course. I’d love nothing more than to openly mock noble snobs.” Eugene coughed at her glare. “I mean, uh, give-- um-- kindly phrased suggestions to noble snobs.” 

Rapunzel shook her head and smiled. Caine walked up to the four of them, a wide grin on her face. 

“How did it go?” Rapunzel asked, though she already knew the answer.

Caine’s grin grew wider. “They’ll let just about anyone be a guard nowadays. No wonder the castle was so easy to infiltrate.” 

“I know right?” Eugene and Varian spoke in unison. They paused, smiled, then bumped fists. 

“Ah, you must be the alchemist. You’re a lot...smaller than I thought you’d be.” 

“I’m not _that_ small.” Varian laughed, he stopped when the four of them began to mumble. “I hate all of you.” 

“You know it’s too bad the king decided he wanted you dead. I’d have loved to work with you.” Caine said with a smirk. 

“Yes, too bad, that disguise expertise could have been quite useful.” Varian laughed. 

“Hey, hey no plotting you two!” Rapunzel frowned.

“Maybe just a small crime, just a little one.” Varian looked to Eugene, putting his hands together. 

“Devil child.” 

Varian groaned. Caine found her smirk turned back to a smile, genuine, an odd feeling for her, unfamiliar. Lance looked at her, his smile matching her own. 

“Hey Caine, you wouldn’t happen to have any cook disguises readily available, would you? I’ve got a new meatball canon I’ve been dying to try out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewatched Before Ever After to get an idea of what Lady Caine was like and,,,, she really out here giving me a gay crisis.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note on the timeline if that might be confusing: The scene at the beginning is a continuation of the end of chapter 5, and takes place a few days before the rest of the chapter.

Cassandra sucked in a breath, weighing her options before responding to the girl. She remembered the child, hanging from a rock spawned from her unchecked rage. She couldn’t afford another mistake like that. 

“What do you mean by control?” 

The girl smiled. “The moonstone in this state is...unstable. There is a piece missing, and with that piece missing it will become volatile. You can hardly control now as it is, but give it time and any spike in emotion may lead to...disastrous consequences.”

Cassandra thought back to Varian, the streak in his hair that glowed upon reaching the dark kingdom. “How do I get it?”

“Lucky for you all the things you need are in one place. I’ve been keeping an eye on the boy, the princess is having him translate the scroll, in an effort to reduce the rock’s destruction. He does not yet have it translated in its entirety, though I believe that to be in our favor. The part we need is translated anyhow, all you need is him, and the scroll.”

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. “And what would you have me do, steal him away in the night?” 

The girl shrugged. “If that’s the method you prefer, sure.” 

“I’m not kidnapping a _child._ ”

“How rude, he’s hardly a child at this point. You could very well just take the scroll if you wished, though it would prove no use to you, just a dusty old piece of paper with scrawled gibberish on its front.” The girl sighed and shook her head. “You don’t have to kidnap him. If it would be easier for you, you could simply use the translated incantation while he was asleep, he wouldn’t notice.” 

“I said _no._ ” Cassandra ignored the small bout of rocks that shot up behind her. “I’m not stooping to his level.” 

“Then what would you suggest? Walking through the castle’s front door? Politely asking for the translated incantation and the boy as a willing volunteer?” 

“You know what? I’ve had _enough_ of you. You don’t know my fr-- you don’t know them, and you don’t know _me._ But more importantly, I still don’t know _you._ So before I trust anything you say, which even after whatever bullshit explanation you give me, is still unlikely, I suggest you talk.” Rocks started sprouting up, more sharp, punctuating her every word. One of them shot directly through the girl, impaling her through the chest. 

The girl did not react to the attack. “I see you’ve begun the accusations again.” 

Cassandra pointed her sword at the girl’s throat. “ _Talk._ ”

She sighed. “Very well, if I must. Though, if I recall, you’re not too fond of exposition.” 

“I’ll make allowances when necessary.” 

“Several millennia ago, I was not a being such as this. I was eight, an aspiring sorcerer, studying magic since the day I could read. I’d always dreamed of being something powerful, something that would strike fear in people’s hearts as they had mine. I got my wish.” 

Cassandra’s eyes widened at the mention of her age. She looked young, though she never suspected she was that young. Physically, at least, she had to be ancient now.

“The sundrop and moonstone fell from the heaven’s striking down to the earth and overtaking the first thing they attached themselves to. It very well could have been a pebble or a blade of grass. For the sundrop, it was a flower, and for the moonstone...it was me.” The girl clutched the stone on her chest, at the center of the frilly neckline of her dress. 

“You’re...the moonstone.” 

“Yes.” She let go of the stone, letting her hands drop back down to her side. “I enjoyed it at first, the power it gave me. I left my previous residence to do as I wished. I built a reputation for myself, a strong sorcerer whose name few would dare speak. I loved every second of it. Eventually, it became apparent to me that my will was no longer my own, I felt an urge to seek the other half, to reunite with it. Any ambition I had was replaced with a gnawing desire to find the sundrop.” 

Cassandra thought of Rapunzel and frowned, suddenly doubting the emotions the woman had brought in her absence. 

“Years turned to decades, decades to centuries, and yet I was still no closer to finding it. Word of a man with a similar mission had spread. I originally came to him in hopes of working together, though he saw me as the enemy, he sought to destroy me. As you can see, he succeeded.” She motioned to her current state.

“Are you...dead?” 

“I might as well be. He turned my being to that cursed stone, this projection of my former self is only visible to those with a connection to the moonstone, a strong one, like yours. I doubt the boy would be able to see me. Hear me, perhaps, if only slightly. It’s depressing, I would have liked to work with the both of you.” 

“If you think for even a second that I would willingly work with that jackass--”

“If you hate him so much, why do you despise my plan? You get back at him for what he’s done, and you get the control you so desperately crave. What exactly is the problem here?” 

“Morality is the problem, a problem you know _nothing_ of.” Cassandra glared at her, though her menacing persona was quickly diminished by the small surge of rocks.

“I suppose not.” The girl rubbed her temples and sighed. “There’s no way I can convince you to do this, is there?” 

“Not a chance.” 

“Very well. We shall try your method first. If it is to go sour, know that I will be there. I’ll always be here for you, whether you like it or not.” 

“I _don’t--_ ” Cassandra stopped, not bothering to say anything else when the girl disappeared. She glared down to the moonstone on her chest. “Stupid rock.”

* * *

“This is it! Today’s the day!” Rapunzel said excitedly to Pascal, staring up at the mural freshly painted across her wall with a wide grin on her face. Her smile grew wider when she glanced over to one part in particular, a painting of her and Eugene, holding hands. She climbed up to it, taking gold paint from her pallet, drawing a small line across both their fingers. 

Pascal let out an excited squeak, bouncing on her shoulder and pacing. Rapunzel’s smile turned soft as she pulled a box from her skirt’s pocket. She opened it, revealing a ring inside. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I propose to _him._ ”

She slid down to the ground and looked to the letter on her bedside table. A message sent from Old Corona. “And today’s the perfect occasion.”

* * *

“Everything is looking great, guys!” Rapunzel walked around and observed the work being done. Banners and streamers being tossed and pinned to the walls. Kiera and Catalina raced past her, streamers in hand, tossing a roll between them. “I’ve always wanted to plan a surprise party!” 

“Surprise party? For who?” Eugene leaned against the entrance to the throne room, watching the decoration. 

Rapunzel jumped and whipped around, shoving him out of the room and moving the door to a more closed position. “It’s for Caine! I thought I’d throw a big welcome to the crime family party for her!” 

“Crime family?” 

She shrugged. “It’s just a little name I’ve got going for you guys.”

He laughed. “Well, I’d love to see her reaction to something like this. Put me to work!”

“No!” She shoved him back further. “Oh-- no you can’t help decorate! I’ve got a...very important list of things that need to be bought. Um-- Lance! Lance, I need you!”

Lance walked over to the two of them, slightly confused. His confusion turned to shock when he noticed Eugene on the other side of the doorway. 

“Hey, Lance! Remember that important list of stuff I need you to get?” She looked at him for visual confirmation, to which she received a panicked nod. “Good! Why don’t you and Eugene head out to town.” She took a large scroll from a table nearby and shoved it against his chest, pushing both of them from the room. “Good luck!” 

Rapunzel sighed once the door was shut. 

“Are you alright?” 

Rapunzel jumped into a defensive stance, which relaxed quickly. “Oh, Madeline! I didn’t see you come in.” 

“I used one of the passageways. I prefer them to the busy hallways.” She shrugged.

“So is it just you?” 

“Sadly, yes. Adira and Hector said they would only attend a celebration in honor of my ‘egocentric troll of a son’ if there were an entire cellar of wine readily available.” She chuckled, then said again, more of a mumble. “I, um, didn’t bother asking Quirin.” 

“Ah, that’s too bad. I feel like those two would be fun at a party!” Rapunzel smiled, though it faded fast. She sighed again.

“Is something wrong dear?” 

“Nothing! It’s nothing, I just...I want this to be perfect. He’s never had a birthday before, and I want this to be a way to catch up on everything he’s missed.” She laughed. “Pretty dumb, right?”

“Hardly. I wouldn’t be worried, I’m sure anything you have planned will bring him immense joy, simply because you thought of him.” Madeline smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder and letting it slide off. 

Rapunzel smiled in response, worries fading away. “You’re right! This is going to be great!”

* * *

“Alright, let’s see. One pair of tap shoes, a monkey with cymbals toy, a ham and cheese sandwich…” Lance checked through the list as he walked, marking random parts of the paper as though it were a list. 

“Ok, I may not know Caine all that well but...is any of this really up her alley? Or is the goal to piss her off as much as possible?” Eugene grunted as he adjusted the pile of items he carried in his arms.

“Hey, I’m not one to question the queen’s orders. Besides,” Lance smirked. “It’s free entertainment.” 

Eugene snorted. “Dinner and a show.” 

Lance stopped at the door, waiting for an ok to go in. Pascal pushed the door open a crack and shook his head. “Welp! Better make sure we’ve got everything!”

“Lance we’ve checked the list over ten times in the past _hour_ you’ve never been this meticulous in your _life_ \--”

Lance looked back at Pascal, who gave a thumbs up. Lance jumped behind Eugene and pushed him through the door, knocking everything from his hands. “Yep! You’re right let’s just go.”

“Lance, what are you-- Oh sweet mama what is this?” Eugene jumped at the sparklers raining from the sky, people jumping up from behind tables. 

“It’s your birthday party!” Rapunzel jumped in front of him, motioning excitedly around her.

“But you said it was--” 

“A diversion. If she were to do such a thing the list of crimes I would commit in response would be...extensive.” Caine chuckled, leaning against a pole nearby. “Though I’m happy to be a part of the family.” 

“Aw, I’m happy to hear that!” Rapunzel smiled at her, before turning back to Eugene. “So, what do you think?” 

“I think...I think it’s a shame I’ve been missing out on this for so long!” Eugene walked around, looking at all the decorations, one of which being a painting of his face. “An entire day where people pay homage to my existence! Oh, sweet birthdays where have you been all my life!” 

Madeline chuckled. “I think I understand now why Adira and Hector refused to attend.” 

“I wouldn’t have put them on the guestlist anyway.” Eugene stuck his tongue out at her, arms crossed. His fake annoyance faded fast, the wide grin on his face hard to fight. “Well, bring on the cake! That is what happens right? Or is there an order to things?”

“It’s your birthday, Eugene. If you want cake, we’re having cake.” Rapunzel motioned for Atilla to bring the cake out, pushing it along on a cart to the center of the room. “Now, blow out the candles!” 

“Sure thing, Blondie.” Eugene turned to the cake, preparing to blow out the candles. Rapunzel smiled softly, gripping the box in her hand and preparing to take it out. 

Cassandra watched from behind the throne, a burning rage inside her begging to be released. She didn’t know why the scene made her so mad, was it Eugene’s egocentric attitude, how everyone seemed to be doing just fine without her? No, that wasn’t it. She was well aware of how the others felt, it was Rapunzel that angered her, the love in her eyes. She hated how she looked at him, she always had. 

Rocks shot up at the sight of a small box in her hands, clicked open to reveal a ring. The rocks cut through the throne, a mountain surrounding it, letting them know she was there. Cassandra jumped, noticing the guards present ready their weapons, all eyes were on her.

Rapunzel’s smile changed. “Cass! Oh, I’m so glad you’re ok. Ever since the thing with the red rocks I’ve been so worried I--”

More rocks spiked through the floor. “I’m not here for you.” 

Rapunzel’s smile faded, she backed away, looking to Lance, silently telling him to stand down. 

“The scroll, I know he has it.”

“The scroll? Why would you need--” 

“ _Don’t_ question me, your highness.” 

Rapunzel jumped at that, surprised at the contrast in behavior from before. She sucked in a breath and shut her eyes, taking a moment to collect herself before talking again. “Cass, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before, and I wish I could have helped more with the red rocks, but I can help now. Please, just come back, we can fix this.”

“I don’t need your help! I don’t need you at all!” 

A surge of rocks shot up from the ground below, hitting the ceiling above. It cracked and crumbled, large chunks falling to the ground. Rapunzel jumped into action immediately, ordering Lance and his men to evacuate the citizens. One particularly large rock fell, almost hitting one before she managed to whip her hair around it and keep it suspended. 

“Let’s go, people!” Eugene yelled as he pushed them out from under the rock, just before Rapunzel’s strength gave way and it went crashing onto the ground. He let out a sigh of relief and looked for anyone else. 

The crumbling came to a stop, everyone safe and accounted for. Rapunzel looked back to the throne. “She’s gone.”

* * *

Cassandra raced outside the island’s edge, going deep into the woods and far from any people before she allowed herself a moment to breathe. 

“I thought you said that threats wouldn’t be necessary.”

Cassandra jumped at the sudden voice, but relaxed when she recognized it’s source. “What do you want?”

“I said I would be here when you failed, and from what I can tell, you have, quite spectacularly at that.” 

“That-- That was an accident.” Cassandra avoided her gaze, instead looking to the ground.

The girl walked toward her, a look of concern on her face. “This is precisely why you need the scroll. You know just as well as I that the sundrop won’t give up on you. She’ll keep coming again and again, forcing whatever she thinks is best until you agree. If you want to keep her safe, you need to keep these...outbursts of your’s _under control._ ”

Cassandra met her eyes, fear in her own. 

The girl smiled. “Are you ready to do things my way?”

* * *

“Where exactly are we going, your highness?” Caine asked as the four of them walked down a series of steps.

“Well, Cassandra said she’d be going after the scroll, and she knows who has it. I’m just going to make sure he’s ok before fully assessing our next move.” 

“He?” 

“The results are in! Who will win for best metal? Will it be steel, for it’s durability and thermal conductivity, or...Iron! For it’s lustrous shine and high melting point?” Varian tapped his desk rapidly, imitating a drum roll. Ruddiger scampered up to him, holding a beaker filled with brown liquid. “Ah, thank you, ruddiger. This is...perfect.” He laughed maniacally. “Warm cocoa really hits the spot. Thanks, bud!” 

“Nice to see you’re enjoying the chocolate I got you.” Eugene spoke from behind him, making him choke. 

“Oh-- um-- Eugene! And, several other people! I was,” He coughed. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon!” 

Eugene looked to the container he was drinking from. “Is that a beaker?” 

“What, this?” Varian threw it against a wall, shattering it. “Of course not. I am the epitome of lab safety.” 

Rapunzel cut them off, stepping in front of Eugene. “So! How exactly has translating the scroll been going?” 

“Oh! Well, I hit a roadblock a day or so ago and I spent about six hours staring at a piece of paper that _should_ be fully translated but uh,” He took a deep breath. “Yeah it’s going great!” 

Lance pushed himself between Eugene and Rapunzel. “Kid when was the last time you slept?” 

“Sleep is for the weak. And I, am not weak.” 

“You’re about to be--”

“Guys! Guys, we need to focus.” Rapunzel pushed herself back in front of the two. “Varian, why don’t you show us what you’ve got so far.” 

“Agh! Of course!” Varian took her hand and pulled her to a board on one of the walls, notes pinned to every inch of it. “It took a while, but I managed to compose this key to translate the scroll in its entirety.”

“Varian! I’m so proud of you!” Rapunzel pulled him into a tight hug.

“Oh, um, thank you?” 

She let go, looking back to the scroll. “So what does it say?” 

“Well, there’s what we’ve already translated, the healing and decay incantations respectively, some information on the sundrop and moonstone, most of which we already knew, as well as two other incantations. I’ve already translated the first one, the moonstone’s incantation, but the other one is...hidden.” 

“What does the moonstone incantation do?” 

“I believe it’s some sort of a power boost. I tried using it myself and I managed to summon a few rocks of my own.” Varian pointed to one of the corners in the lab, a small mound of the black rocks sprouted up from the wooden floors. 

“So _that’s_ why Cassandra wanted the scroll.” Rapunzel muttered, then spoke again, louder. “What about the fourth?” 

“Well, I’m assuming it has to do with the sundrop, but Demanitus is a cheeky bastard and he hid it on the scroll and I can’t fucking _find it._ ” Varian glared at the scroll, frustration visibly present.

“Uh, hey, maybe we should stop talking about the scroll in front of glow-worm over there.” Caine pointed to the top of the steps, a familiar figure standing at the top of them.

Cassandra smiled. “Don’t stop on my account.” 

“Cassandra, you don’t have to do this!” Rapunzel yelled, putting an arm in front of Varian. 

“I’m doing this for _you!_ ” Cassandra summoned a large blunt rock, slamming it against her. Rapunzel slumped against the wall, falling unconscious. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Eugene took out the sword from his belt, preparing to attack. 

“I think I will, actually.” Cassandra raised her hand to the air, making a wall of rocks between them. “Looks like it’s just you and me kid.” 

“What do you want?” Varian backed away, holding a glass ball filled with acid in front of him, trying to keep distance between them.

“You’re a smart kid, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.” Cassandra let her sword drag across the floor as she made her way towards him. “I want the incantation.” 

“Ha! Good luck with that.” Varian crushed the acid bomb against the wall, disintegrating his notes. “You can’t read it with the key!” 

“I don’t need the key. I just need you.” Before he had a chance to retort, Cassandra grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall. He slid down to the floor, passing out instantly. Cassandra sighed and picked him up, taking the scroll and walking away.

Ruddiger chittered and clawed at her ankles, growling as he tried to bite her. Cassandra kicked him, knocking him against a wall. She let the rocks retreat, seconds before she walked out the door. 

“Blondie!” Eugene ran to his girlfriend, lifting her face to his own. “Sunshine, are you ok?” 

She opened her eyes, blinking slowly before waking up fully. “Yeah.”

“Guys?” Lance said, looking around the lab. “Where’s Varian?”

* * *

“Not so difficult, was it?” The girl spoke as she floated beside her, glancing over to the unconscious boy draped over a stolen horse. 

Cassandra said nothing, her focus on the scroll and nothing else, absentmindedly pulling the horse along. 

“You looked quite intimidating out there, I’m surprised you pulled that off.” The girl smiled. “And that you had no problem keeping the sundrop out of the way.” 

Cassandra shot up at that, rocks following suit around her. “She’ll be fine. I _needed_ this scroll, so that’s what I had to do. I have to do this.” 

“Now you’re starting to understand.” 

“No, no I’m nothing like you. You _enjoy_ this. If you weren’t stuck in that weird ghost-realm, you’d be doing _much_ worse than I am, and you’d love every second of it.” Cassandra growled and rolled up the scroll, shoving it back into Varian’s bag. 

“And you didn’t?” Cassandra’s glare got stronger at the accusation, though the girl thought nothing of it. “I saw the smile on your face when you slammed his head into the wall. You’ve wanted to do that for a while now.” 

“He’s a _child._ ”

“And you hate him. You hate how they all think of him, not seeing him for who he really is. They coddle him, all of them, and you hate every second of it.” Her glare faded staring at the ground instead of her eyes. The girl put a hand to her face, lifting it back up to her. “It’s ok, you’re allowed a bit of fun. You don’t have to feel ashamed.” 

Cassandra pushed her hand away, tugging the horse forward and ignoring the girl’s concerned gaze. 

“Where are we going, exactly?” 

“You’ve been here before.” Cassandra spoke quietly, pushing aside the branches to reveal a cliffside. Rocks covered every inch of it, making it almost unrecognizable, though the plaque clued her in on their location. 

“Ah, the start of your journey, how sentimental.” The girl floated down to the ground and watched as Cassandra dumped Varian on the ground, tying his hands to one of the rocks. “So, what is your plan for acquiring the incantation?” 

“I thought you could tell me it. If _you’re_ the moonstone, shouldn’t you know how to unlock its power?” 

“I started _out_ with all its power, I had no need for some mortal’s idea of a power boost. You, however, do. And _he’s_ the only one who knows its contents. So how are you going to get that information?” 

Cassandra stood still for a moment, processing the information. She snapped her fingers and grabbed his bag, rifling through it, pulling vials out and checking their labels. 

“What exactly are you looking for?” The girl inspected a small vial of green liquid, covered with warning labels. “This could work, if you’re looking for suggestions.” 

“I’m _not._ ” Cassandra flicked the vial away, watching as the glass shattered against a rock, liquid seeping and steaming on the grass. She shuddered, then continued her search. “And if you must know, I’m looking for truth serum. He made some a while back, he might still have it in here.”

“Do you _honestly_ think he would keep something that powerful in such an easily accessible place? I mean, what cause would he even have to--” The girl watched Cassandra smile as she pulled a vial from the bag, the label telling her all she needed to know. “Oh, well, always come prepared I suppose.” 

“How much should I even _give_ him?” 

“What, there’s no instructions on the back?” The girl chuckled to herself, though she stopped when Cassandra glared. “I’d say all of it, just to be safe.” 

“All of it? I don’t think--”

“Do you want control or not? I’ve been nothing if not patient with you, putting up with your temper tantrums, your so called ‘morality’, but I have a limit. So stop complaining and just _give him the vial._ ” The girl’s form distorted, growing in size, towering over her, her eyes glowed a bright blue, horns sprouted and twisted from her head.

Cassandra felt herself move toward Varian with the vial before she had even thought to do so. Her hands shook as she gave it to him, letting out a sigh of relief once the task was finished. When she looked back, the girl was normal, her ever present smile as wide as ever.

“And now we wait.”

* * *

Varian blinked his eyes, groaning as his vision blurred in and out. He tried to put his hand to his head to press it against the pounding headache he now had, but found himself unable to move them. 

“Wha-- Where are we?” He looked up to Cassandra, who sat lazily on one of the rocks, vial in hand, now empty, though he didn’t know what was in it.

“That doesn’t matter. What does matter is what’s written on this scroll here.” Cassandra took out the scroll, hitting it against her hand. “Why don’t you tell me about it?” 

“ _Never._ ”

“I figured you’d say that. But I believe this will change your mind.” Cassandra waved the vial around proudly. 

“What-- what is it?” 

“You don’t recognize it?” Cassandra stood up, walking toward him and leaning down to match his height. “I thought I might use one of your little tricks, figured it might make you more...honest.” 

Varian’s eyes went wide as he made the connection. Cassandra smiled.

“So, about that incantation...what is it?” 

“Flower gleam and glow--”

Cassandra slammed her hand against the rock behind him. “Not that one, idiot! The moonstone incantation!” 

“Wither and decay--” 

“Ugh, you’re insufferable!” Cassandra dragged her hands down her face. “Fine, how about this for more specific, what is the third incantation, the one that would unlock the moonstone’s full power?” 

She could see the confidence drain from him in an instant. He slammed his mouth shut, squeezing his eyes closed and facing the ground. 

“Oh come on, kid. Don’t make this harder on yourself.” She laughed a little, watching him try to keep his mouth shut. It was ironic, really. 

He started shaking, tears forming in his eyes as short gasps of pain came out instead of words. Cassandra’s smile fell, amusement replaced with concern as the tears fell down his face. 

She looked back to the girl, then to Varian “That...didn’t happen before.”

“Well I never gave anyone more than a few drops before!” Varian shouted, startling her, before snapped his jaw shut again, curling in himself. The headache grew in intensity, what used to be a hammer turned to a mallet, his throat felt like it was on fire, he couldn’t breathe.

“Come on kid…” Cassandra whispered at a volume only she could hear.

“Crescent...high...above…Evolving...as you go.” He started to say, she could barely make out the words, and she could barely ignore the crying, but she wrote them down anyway, wanting it to be over just as much as he did. “Raise...what lies...beneath...and let the darkness grow.”

“Bend...it to my will... consume...the sunglights glow--” He gasped for air, pulling his hands against the restraints in an effort to grab his throat. “Rise...into...the sky….and let the darkness grow.”

Cassandra let out a shaky sigh when she saw him relax, slumping against the rock. “See? Wasn’t so hard.” 

“What...what are you going to do with it?” 

Cassandra walked closer to him and crouched down, taking the blue strand of his hair and holding it in her hand. “Taking back what should have been mine in the first place.” 

She shut her eyes and sucked in a breath.

_Crescent high above, Evolving as you go._

She opened them again, saw the blue crawl from his hair up her arm and to the moonstone, and smiled.

_Raise what lies beneath, and let the darkness grow._

Varian could feel himself getting weaker, what little remained of his consciousness drifting away with the moonstone. 

_Bend it to my will, consume the sunlights glow._

The color drained completely from his head, flowing up her arm and swirling around in the moonstone. It settled and grew lighter, adding a brighter glow to her hair as well. 

_Rise into the sky, and let the darkness grow._

Her hair started to float, eyes glowing a soft blue.

_Let darkness grow._

The glow faded and settled. “Not so hard.” Cassandra whispered to herself, standing up and walking toward the edge of the cliffside.

The girl floated up to her level. “So, how do you plan to test out your new power?” 

“We need a way to let them know where we are, right? I thought I’d multitask.” 

Cassandra shut her eyes and raised her hand, taking what rage she had been building up over the course of the day and using it, remembering every snide comment or criticism from the ghost girl, Rapunzel’s condescension, everyone acting as though her absence meant nothing. For once, Varian brought her no anger, she wasn’t sure what she felt, pity, maybe, but that didn’t matter to her at the moment. 

Varian watched as the rocks poking from the cliffside grew exponentially, raising above the treetops, over the clouds, twisting and coiling around themselves into a gravity-defying tower. He’d commend the craftsmanship-- if he weren’t so terrified. 

Cassandra smiled. “Home sweet home.”

* * *

“We _have_ to figure out what she’s planning to do with Varian and the scroll.” Rapunzel said as she paced around the room, gripping the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I mean, I’m sure he’ll be fine, but those two haven’t exactly gotten along since the whole...um, thing that happened, and I know how Cass can get when she gets into ‘interrogation mode’.”

Eugene shuddered. “She’s like a completely different person.”

“Hey, not to be the pessimistic one or anything, but are we even going to be able to save the kid?” Caine said from atop one of the tables in Rapunzel’s room, sitting with one leg swinging over the edge. 

“Madeline is on her way back to Old Corona as we speak getting the brotherhood, so we’ll have plenty of strength there. And don’t forget, the four of us aren’t something to sneeze at.” Rapunzel shrugged. “Besides, I’m sure if we just talk to her--”

Caine rolled her eyes. “Yeah like that worked out great last time.” 

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes and prepared to speak, but was interrupted by Kiera raising her hand. “Don’t you mean the six of us?” 

Lance shook his head. “Yeah, no, you two are going to stay _here._ This is a hostage situation, not a field trip.” 

Kiera groaned, slumping against Catalina, who giggled. “No fair! I wanna see all the action.” 

“Too bad, better luck next time.” Eugene patted her on the back, then looked back to Rapunzel. “So we got manpower, that’s one thing going for us. There’s one problem though, we don’t even know where she is!”

Rapunzel thought for a moment, eyes flicking around the room trying to come up with an idea to track her down. Her gaze fell to her window, a spiked tower now present above the mountains. “I think I have an idea where to start.”

* * *

“It just _had_ to be a tower didn’t it.” Varian muttered to himself as Cassandra pulled him along up the stairs. She had a tight grip on his arm, the armor poking into his skin if he fell behind. He almost fell entirely a few times, barely able to find the energy to move, yet they kept going nonetheless. 

“Oh it’s not that bad.” Cassandra rolled her eyes, yanking him forward to emphasize her impatience. 

“I guess so, it’s nothing compared to the spire. That was a whole day worth of trekking up a mountain.” Varian found himself smiling, noticing Cassandra relax ever so slightly. “Though I think Calliope was the worst part of it. I was so close to shoving her off the mountain.” 

“Heh, you and me both.” 

“Rapunzel said we were a lot like each other, and I didn’t think she was capable of insulting anyone, but she proved me wrong. I still shudder anytime I think about it.” 

“Wait, was it unintentional or was she just _really_ pissed at you?”

“Neither, I challenged her.”

“Ah, let me guess, she apologized profusely immediately after.”

“Oh yeah.” Varian saw a smile creep onto her face, the grip on his arm relax, and decided to push further. “Cassie, I know Rapunzel hurt you but--”

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that.” The smile fell, her grip tightened again. 

“Cassandra, please, you don’t have to do this. I know letting out your anger like this feels good in the moment, but you’re _going_ to regret it--”

“What, like I don’t already?” Cassandra noticed the fear in his eyes when her tone turned dark, then sighed. They reached the top of the tower without another word, Cassandra letting go of him and roaming around the room. 

Varian grew tired of the silence fast, though he wasn’t quite sure how to break it. What exactly could get through to her? He thought back onto what she said, all the way back to the dark kingdom. He sighed and decided he may as well say something.

“What did you mean earlier? Do you really regret this?” Varian spoke softly, walking toward her, cautiously. 

“Why wouldn’t I? I stole an important artifact just for the hell of it, I made the entire kingdom hallucinate their worst fears, I got really pissed one day and accidentally impaled a little girls leg, I fucking _kidnapped_ you, what is there to be proud of?” Cassandra slammed her sword into the ground, walking toward him as well.

“Then _why_ are you still doing this?”

“Because I have to!” 

He jumped, moving his arms to cross them over his face, preparing for some sort of attack. He dropped them fast, not wanting to send the wrong impression, then spoke again. “You don’t have to, Cassandra. I know it might seem like it, but if you just come back I’m sure we can find a different way to do this. We can find a way to save Rapunzel and the kingdom, trust me, we’ll find a way.” 

“Trust you? How the hell could I trust you.” 

“Cass--”

“How the _fuck_ could I trust the same stupid kid who tried to kill me and everyone I cared about! Everyone else seems to buy this little goodie goodie act you have going, but I don’t, not even for a second. You’ve only ever been out for yourself. I don’t know what kind of game you have going in that sick head of yours but I _refuse_ to play along with it!” 

“Oh so you’re a traitor _and_ a hypocrite now?!” 

“I didn’t betray anyone, you did.” 

“That’s right, I did. I betrayed everyone close to me, I hurt them, I tried to kill some of them. But you know what? At least I acknowledge what I did was wrong, and at least I’m trying to fucking do something about it!” 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh, trust me, if anyone knows what they’re talking about here, it’s me.” Varian rolled his eyes, any fear he felt in the moment melting away, being replaced with a repressed rage. “Your initial distrust of me is perfectly understandable. Honestly, I’d be concerned if you of all people decided I was someone worth giving two shits about without any proof. But it's been over a year now, and nothing’s changed.” 

“What, do you expect me to warm up to you or something?”

“No! I don’t! I could care less what you think of me!” Varian waved his arms around, voice raising in volume at every comment. “But to pull shit like _this_ and _still_ act like you’re somehow a better person than me? Honestly, Cassie, it’s hypocritical.” 

“I’m _nothing_ like you.” 

“Are you sure about that?” His voice turned low, quiet, his arms fell down to his sides, hands balled into fists. “You betrayed Rapunzel, you attacked the kingdom, you attacked Rapunzel, you kidnapped me, you’re using me as bait to lure the queen here, the list goes on and on! You’re doing the same shit I did and you _still_ think that I’m a monster while you’re some sort of hero!”

“It’s not like I wanted to hurt anyone!”

“Yeah, neither did I, but I _had_ to, to save my father. That’s what I thought, that it was my only option, that I had no other choice but to push everyone away, that I had to hurt them. Sound familiar?” 

“No one forced you to make all those automatons. No one held a knife to your throat when you tried to crush me and the queen to death.” 

“And no one forced you to slam my head against a wall, but you sure fucking loved it didn’t you? You can act all high and mighty but you’re just as awful as I am--” 

“God, for once in your life could you just _shut up!_ ”

A surge of black rocks shot up through the floor, blunt ones, but large, a mountain of them flying straight into his gut, knocking him across the room and slamming him into the wall. He slid down to the ground, trying and failing to push himself up, coughing and wrapping his arm around his torso. 

“Yeah, ok, I kind of deserved that.” He laughed bitterly and coughed more, arm giving out and falling back on the ground. 

“What?-- I-- I have all of the moonstone, that shouldn’t have happened!” Cassandra started to run over to him, but stopped when the girl formed in front of her. 

“Yes, and now it can hit harder, stronger. You wanted to hurt him, the moonstone was simply following your will.” 

“He’s been hurt enough! I know he’s an asshole but I don’t want him dead!” 

“I do.” The girl muttered to herself.

“ _What?_ ” Cassandra glared down to her, somehow unable to summon the rocks despite her intense fury. “Why does that even-- nevermind. You said getting the incantation would give me full control over the rocks. That _shouldn’t have happened._ ”

“I think you’ve misunderstood. The incantation does give its user full control of the rocks, you’re just not the one in control.” 

“Wha--” Before Cassandra could get another word out, the girl floated up to her level, flying behind her and placing her hands over her eyes. She grew to match her size, floating into her and overtaking her. Her eyes glowed a bright blue, a blue light that flooded out of her eyes like a broken dam. Horns sprouted from her head, coiling around themselves slowly, cracking and snapping like bones until they reached their desired shape. 

Varian watched, vision going in and out as he tried to push himself up again. The transformation stopped and the woman relaxed, a smile creeping onto her face. “...Cass?”

Her smile grew wider, though he thought that to be impossible. She walked toward him and leaned down, grabbing his face and digging into it with her armored gloves. “Try again.” 

Chains made from the black rocks sprung up from the floor, snapping shut around his wrists. They moved behind him, pulling his arms behind his back. 

“Oh come on, you’re a smart boy. It shouldn’t take you this to figure it out.” She laughed, a laugh that felt so wrong to him, to hear come out of Cassandra’s mouth. Everything about her felt wrong. “I’ll give you a hint though, we’ve spoken before.”

She could see it click in his head, how his eyes went wide at the realization. He tried to pull himself away. She let him, dragging her hand off his face and letting him back away. She rolled her eyes and held up her hand, summoning a third chain around his neck, pulling it up along the wall. 

“What are you--” He choked out, grabbing the chain around his neck, trying to pull it off. 

“We could have been great together, you know. But, just like that fool Demanitus, you see me as the enemy. You’ve already fulfilled your purpose, so I see no need in keeping you around.” Her eyes narrowed, smile fading from her face, turning to a scowl. “You’re a liability.” 

“Cass-- please--” He kicked and thrashed against the wall, trying to keep his feet on the ground as the chain pulled up further.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, Cassandra _isn’t here._ ” Her anger grew, pointed teeth grinding together as her patience thinned. “She’s a coward, just like you, she doesn’t have the guts to kill you, nor does she have the courage to stand against me.” 

“ _Please._ ” Varian looked into her glowing eyes, searching desperately for some sign of a struggle. 

Her eyes started to flicker, pupils visible again, the blue fading back to where it was. The chains disappeared, making him fall onto the ground with a loud thud. He looked up at her, vision blacking out, she looked terrified, shouting worries he couldn’t make out over the ringing in his ears. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, crying softly as his vision faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to point out that Varian is _not_ working in the Demanitus Chamber because that just. He's working next to a mountain of amber. Someone _has_ to notice something wrong with that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry to say that updates might be more infrequent, as I am now unable to set aside as much time to write as I used to. If I post a chapter a few days late, that's why.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t head to Old Corona first, your highness? Get that much needed manpower before we go in guns blazing?” Caine walked to the front of their group, hands behind her back as Rapunzel looked ahead with grim determination.

“No time, they’ll just have to meet us here.” She responded without looking her in the eyes.

“Wise choice.” Adira spoke as she hopped from a tree branch, hitting the ground with a loud thud. 

“Adira!” Rapunzel watched as three other figures stepped out from the shadows, her smile fell when she recognized Quirin with them. “And friends! I’m glad you could make it, we need all the help we can get.” 

“We have more help, actually.” Hector reached behind a tree and pulled two children out into the light. “It seems you’ve been followed.”

“Kiera, Catalina, I thought I told you two to stay home!” Lance crossed his arms and frowned, receiving two ashamed looks in return. 

“It’s been over a year now and you lot still can’t manage to realize when people are tailing you.” Adira shook her head and laughed.

“Ah, no, just them.” Caine frowned and pointed to the other three members of her group.

“Wait, you knew?” Eugene tilted his head.

“I’m not a snitch.” Caine shrugged and smiled at the two. “Bet you two kick _ass_ at hide and seek.” 

“Heh, you know it. You’re lookin’ at the castle’s reigning champ.” Kiera smirked, putting her hands on her hips as if to show herself off.

“Actually that would be me.” Catalina rolled her eyes, smiling as well. “She can’t manage to stay quiet.” 

“Why you--”

“ _Speaking_ of children,” Madeline interrupted, putting a stop to the argument before it could fully form. “Where’s Varian?” 

“Oh, um,” Rapunzel pointed to the tower looming over them. “He’s already there.”

“Ah,” Adira pulled a dagger from her bag twirling it in her hand. “So she’s dead then.” 

“Maybe...don’t do that.” Rapunzel smiled nervously and pushed the dagger down. 

“Care to explain what’s going on?” Hector narrowed his eyes, flicking them between her and the tower. 

“Varian’s been translating Demanitus’s scroll, apparently part of it included an incantation Cassandra insisted she needed. So...she took him.” Rapunzel watched their reactions carefully, eyeing Quirin more than the rest. She noticed a plethora of emotions visible on his face, anger, concern, guilt. She frowned, and continued to speak. “Our first priority should be making sure he’s safe, then we’ll worry about Cassandra.” 

“Our first priority should be getting these two _back to Corona._ ” Lance glared at the girls, receiving yet another look of guilt.

“No time, they’ll just have to come with us.” Rapunzel turned around and kept forward, not checking to see if they would follow.

Eugene walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He’ll be ok, Blondie.”

She frowned, pushing aside some vines to see the base of the tower, waves splashing on the cliffside. “I hope so.”

* * *

Varian shot up, gasping for air as he recalled seeing Cassandra’s twisted form, blue pupiless, soulless eyes staring down at him, a smile on her face. He looked around, assessing his surroundings, The tower was far away from him now, the only way back inside along a narrow platform made from the black rocks. He wasn’t on the cliff, instead hanging thousands of feet above it in an unbreakable cage, legs dangling through the cracks. He curled in on himself, dizziness growing the more he looked down. 

“Oh, ok, this is...extremely terrifying. Thanks Cassandra, for this lovely gift. I hate it.” He muttered to himself, continuing to look around. His eyes fell on his bag, still with him, which he found surprising. He shrugged it off and started going through it.

“Come on, please still be in there…” He whispered, shoving aside vials and glass balls. He let out a sigh of relief as his eyes fell on the scroll. He took it out and looked it over. “Alright, I’ve just gotta keep working. That incantation has to be on here somewhere.” 

“If it's not anywhere on the scroll, it has to be hidden on the back, but there’s nothing there.” He flipped the scroll over, inspecting it. “The sundrop incantation, the fourth incantation able to grant its wielder complete control over the sundrop’s power. Sundrop incantation...sun and moon…” 

He thought back to his discovery of the third incantation. The rest of the visible scroll was simply information on the rocks and sundrop, he thought that was all there was to it. He had read about two other incantations, both more powerful than the ones visible. Complete powers of creation and destruction, but he could not find them. He worked late into the night trying to decipher it, to figure out the solution to the problem. When it was completely dark, words started to glow, the moonstone’s incantation was hidden in complete darkness. 

“Why did it have to be _this_ incantation that you had to hide? Why not the incantation that made people rot into nothing? What the hell were you thinking?” He gasped a little, not intending to say that. Of course, no one had heard it, but still it seemed odd as to why he would say that, or why he was saying all of his thoughts out loud. “Stupid scroll...stupid incantations. Stupid sun, stupid moon, stupid--”

“Wait, the sun! If I can only see the moonstone’s incantation in complete darkness, I’d need a beam of concentrated light to see its opposite!” Varian laughed triumphantly as he pulled an empty glass container from his bag, positioning it to where the sun would shine through directly on the paper.

Words burned into it, the ink getting darker and easier to see. Once it was fully burned in he threw the container back in his bag, holding up the scroll and smiling wide. “I take everything back, Demanitus you’re a _genius!_ ”

* * *

“I’ll give her points for creativity.” Adira remarked as they stopped at the base of the tower. “Though I’ll have to take some off for lack of an entrance.” Just as she spoke, part of the front cracked open, a jagged opening was formed. “I stand corrected! A plus!” 

Kiera and Catalina snickered as they ran through the entrance, climbing over bits of rocks and looking around. The rest entered slower, more wary of their surroundings, all checking for a place where Varian may be. 

“Well, it looks like there’s... a lot of paths to choose from.” Rapunzel glanced around, making note of the different sets of steps around them. “We should probably split up.” 

“We’ll go down this path.” Madeline pointed to one of the stairs behind her, motioning for the rest of the brotherhood to follow. They nodded and followed her, not another word spoken between the four of them.

“And the cool kids will go down this path.” Lance picked up Kiera and Catalina, setting them down back on the floor and letting them walk in front of him.

“I’ll go alone.” Caine said, turning in the opposite direction before Lance grabbed her arm.

“Actually, you’re with us.” Lance said loud with a smile, he spoke again in a murmur. “I need you to help me keep the kids out of trouble.” 

She nodded and followed, putting on a more cheerful attitude, well, as cheery as she could get without making herself nauseous. 

“I guess that just leaves you and me!” Rapunzel smiled. Pascal made an offended squeak from her shoulder. “Oh, and you too Pascal. I couldn’t forget you.” 

Eugene chuckled, then looked at the remaining paths. “So, which one do you think we should take?” 

“I was thinking you could pick! Since, well, it is your birthday.” 

“Ah, thank you Sunshine, for this lovely gift.” He said sarcastically, though his smile didn’t fade. “Hmmm...let’s go with...that one!” 

“Sounds like a plan!” Rapunzel took his hand and pulled him along up the stairs.

* * *

“I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been rather quiet as of late.” Madeline spoke softly, her voice barely heard over Adira and Hector arguing behind them. “Of course, you’ve always been the quiet type.”

He said nothing in response, simply glancing down and back up again.

“I know it must be a little awkward being around the princess and her boyfriend after your… discussion.” Madeline rubbed her hand behind her neck, looking to the side.

“It’s not that.”

“Is it Varian?” Madeline frowned, letting her hand fall down to her side. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, you shouldn’t worry.”

“Yes, so long as he doesn’t set her off, which is what I’m worried about.” 

“Ah, she did seem the type to be...easily angered.” Madeline looked to the side again.

“Of course she is.” Quirin sighed, dragging one of his hands down his face.

“Are we talking about Varian?” Adira popped up behind them, putting an arm around both their shoulders. “Do I need to give the speech again?”

“No, please, not again.” Hector groaned, walking up to match their pace, slumped over. “You’ve said it so much _I_ could give the speech.” 

“Blame Quirin, he’s the one that’s making me do this.” Adira smiled, pushing herself between Madeline and Quirin, dropping her arms back down. “Now, reason number one why you should love and respect your child--”

“Alright! I think that’s enough.” Madeline interrupted. “It’s not needed. Yet.” 

“It won’t be.” Quirin raised up his hands in defeat. “I just...hope he doesn’t get himself into trouble.” 

“Awww you’re worried about him!” Adira leaned against him, grinning ear to ear. 

“Big tough guy finally showing his soft side huh? Never thought I’d see the day.” Hector smirked, crossing his arms. 

“I despise the both of you.” 

Madeline chuckled, letting herself fall behind the three of them as they continued up their chosen path.

* * *

“We got here too easily, we could be walking into a trap.” Rapunzel remarked as they hid behind a mound of rocks. 

Pascal squeaked and made himself turn black, matching the rocks in color.

“Ah! Perfect! Think you could get in without being seen?” Pascal nodded. Rapunzel kissed his head and sat him off the ground, letting him scurry across the floor and up the remaining steps. “Good luck buddy!”

* * *

“So you see, young ladies, the seasoned thief inherently knows his way around unfamiliar places.” Lance glanced behind him and in front of him, smiling as he spoke. “It’s a keen sense one develops after years of studying one’s craft, and--”

“And we’re back at the entrance.” Kiera rolled her eyes.

“Now that we’ve...familiarized ourselves with the correct entrance, we can proceed to the correct route!” Lance pointed to a different set of stairs. “Let’s go!” 

Kiera crossed her arms, raising a brow as to question him. “Are you _sure_ you know where you’re going?”

“Hey, don’t mess with the process kid.” Caine shrugged, then looked over to Lance, a smile growing on her face. “Though, if we are going to be spending more time getting up there, I’d love to hear about this thief background of yours. How _did_ the Captain of the Guard come from such humble beginnings?”

“And how _did_ a renowned criminal such as yourself become my second in command?” 

“Oh stop you’re making me blush.” Caine chuckled, rolling her eyes.

Kiera gagged behind them, making her and Catalina laugh.

“Hey, what are you two giggling about?” Lance turned around, putting his hands on his hips.

“Nothing!” They spoke in unison, sprinting ahead of them, giggling all the while.

Caine sighed. “I guess we should pick up the pace if we want to keep an eye on them.”

Lance groaned, slumping against one of the walls. “What is it with reformed thieves and making me do cardio?”

Caine patted his stomach. “Well, it’s not like it wouldn’t hurt.”

Lance gasped, putting one hand to his chest and the other draped across his forehead. “You wound me, Caine. I don’t deserve this cruel treatment!” 

“Yeah, sure, let’s go.” Caine rolled her eyes and pulled him up the stairs to catch up to them.

* * *

Pascal snuck around the fortress, ducking and hiding behind various rocks that sprouted up through the floor. He knew this sort of thing wasn’t necessary, not when he could simply blend in with the rocks, yet he found himself doing it anyway, for fun if nothing else, a way to calm his nerves. The room was completely empty, save for a mountain of rocks and...chains.

Pascal shuddered, scurrying toward them. He poked at them, noticing they had been unclasped, though the fact that they had been used in the first place worried him greatly. He looked to the side, noticing a large crack in the wall that led out. There was a long platform, going on for several hundred feet, at the end of it laid a series of rocks all twisted around each other to form a circular cage. Yet another thing to add to his list of concerns. 

Not wanting to spend another second in this place alone, Pascal scurried his way back to where Rapunzel was, crawling up her arm and resting on her shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief. 

“Was Cassandra there?” She asked, looking down to where he sat. He shook his head. 

Eugene leaned down to his level. “Was Varian?” 

Pascal thought back to the platform, the cage at the end, the vague silhouette which he could almost recognize, he nodded. 

Rapunzel and Eugene wasted no time making their way up the remainder of the steps, looking around for any sign of him. When their eyes fell on the chains, they quickly averted them, not wanting to spend any time thinking of what it was used for. Pascal hopped from Rapunzel’s shoulder and pointed out the crack in the wall.

“So he’s all the way…” Eugene’s voice faded out as they stared down the narrow platform. 

“Don’t worry Varian! We’re gonna get you out!” Rapunzel shouted as loud as she could, though she had doubts if he could hear them, then looked to Eugene. “You go find a way to get him out. I’ll stay here in case Cassandra shows.” 

“You sure you’ll be ok Blondie?” He put a hand on her face, a look of concern on his own.

“I’ll be fine.” She put her hand on his and smiled.

Eugene nodded and began walking down the platform, keeping his arms out to maintain balance. Rapunzel walked around the room, taking it all in, looking around for other possible entrances. Her eyes fell on the soft blue glow in one of the corners, despite herself, she ran toward it. Rapunzel bent down and placed a hand on Cassandra’s shoulder, startling her.

She looked up to her, tears in her eyes. “...Rapunzel?”

Rapunzel watched with wide eyes as Cassandra pulled her into a hug, quiet crying turning to sobbing the second Rapunzel returned the gesture.

“Rapunzel I’m so sorry! I’m sorry I hurt you, I hurt him, I don’t know how I could ever make it up to you I--”

“Cass, it’s ok, I know you didn’t mean it.” Rapunzel pulled her closer, putting a hand on her head and petting her hair. “I hurt you too, you had every right to be mad.” 

“But, still, I shouldn’t have taken it this far I’m so _sorry--_ ”

“It’s ok. I’m just glad to have you back.” Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief, secretly glad she wouldn’t have to fight her friend. “We’re going to fix all of this, together.”

Cassandra started to laugh, quiet, at first, making Rapunzel believe it was a solemn one. The laughter grew in volume, tone turning manic. Cassandra looked up at her, the blue in her irises leaking into the rest of her eyes, horns sprouting out of her head. 

“Promise?” She spoke in a voice that was not her own. 

Rapunzel jumped back, making the woman laugh even louder, she wrapped her arms around herself, the blue light in her eyes flickering in and out, dripping down her face. The laughter stopped, as well as the flickering in her eyes, she sighed and stood up. 

Two spikes shot from her wrists, serving as daggers, any window, exit, or source of light in the room was cut off, she got into a fighting stance. “Well, shall we get started?”

* * *

“Man I hate birthdays.” Eugene muttered to himself as he crawled along the platform, which was getting thinner the further up it he got. He looked up, noticing he was only about ten feet away from Varian. “Kid, you ok over there?”

He didn’t respond, remaining hunched over, scribbling away on a piece of paper, completely focused on the task at hand. Eugene jumped and looked behind him as the only way back into the tower slammed shut, he sighed and continued crawling. Once he reached the end of the platform, he tapped Varian on the shoulder. He yelped and jumped back, though he kept a tight grip on the scroll in his hand.

“Oh! Eugene!” Varian sighed once he recognized him, relaxing and setting the scroll back on the bottom of the cage. “Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“Or hear me, apparently. I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now.” 

Varian laughed nervously. “Oh, um, sorry. It’s kind of hard to hear anything over all the ringing.” 

“The what?”

“The ringing.” Varian responded automatically. “My head really hurts. Dunno whether that’s because of Cassandra slamming my head against a wall or what’s probably an overdose but that doesn’t really matter at the moment.”

“A _what?_ ” 

“I’m currently under the effects of copious amounts of truth serum, which, by the way, if you could stop asking questions so I can focus that would be great.” 

Eugene stared in shock as he came to that realization. He knew Cassandra had to have acquired the incantation somehow, and he was glad it wasn’t through any painful methods, at least, that was the intention. He stayed silent for a moment, letting him continue to work before the boredom got to him. 

“What are you even working on anyway?”

“Translating the fourth incantation, I finally figured out where it was hidden. Now, no more questions!” Varian let himself relax when Eugene stopped talking, returning to writing the incantation on a separate piece of paper.

“How much do you have done?” 

“Almost all of it, I’ve had a while to work.” Varian muttered, impatience present on his face. 

The two fell back into silence, well, as silent as they could get with Varian mumbling to himself. It worried him, not just the mumbling, but the way he swayed slightly, how he blinked too slow, how he had one arm wrapped around his stomach. 

“Kid, are you ok?”

“That’s a loaded question Eugene, you’d have to be more specific. Do you mean physically, emotionally, mentally? The answer is a resounding _no._ ”

“I mean are you _hurt?_ Any physical injuries I should be worried about?” 

“Well, there’s what’s probably a concussion from when she knocked me out initially, a few broken ribs from her launching me across the room via a mountain of black rocks, I almost got choked to death too, that was fun. Well, not fun, obviously, I almost died.” Varian started to ramble again, scribbling away on a sheet of paper. He stopped suddenly, a wide smile on his face. “On the bright side, I finished translating the incantation!”

“Good, great, that’s great. Did...Cassandra really do that?”

“The second thing was because I pissed her off, she didn’t really mean it. I think... I hope-- but the third one I know definitely wasn’t her fault because it _wasn’t her._ ” 

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure how to explain it exactly, she just-- she wasn’t-- she was someone else. Different voice, different mannerisms, her eyes were _glowing--_ ” Varian shuddered, thinking back to his last interaction with her. “It’s just-- It’s kind of concerning because-- well, I don’t think it’s Cassandra that Rapunzel’s fighting.”

* * *

Rumbling could be heard above them, crashing and booming sounding through the ceiling. Madeline leaned out a window, turning around and looking up to see where the noise was coming from, before going back inside. 

“Cassandra is at the top, if we take those stairs we should manage to intercept her.” She spoke quickly, not wasting any time elaborating, then made her way up the steps. 

The others nodded and followed. Conversations which were once loud and full of laughter, attempts to keep them from panicking had dulled to silence, a more serious emotion flooded the air. The crashing grew louder and louder the more steps they climbed, the occasional rock shooting down next to them. They reached the top, all readying their weapons to fight whatever may be waiting for them. 

“Ah,” Cassandra smiled, releasing the rock’s grip on Rapunzel’s hair. “It seems we’ve got company.”

“Let him _go_ Cassandra.” Quirin spoke in a low growl, hands balled into fists.

“No, I don’t think she will.” Cassandra laughed, a cackle that sent shivers down their spines, she looked to Madeline. “It’s been a while, your majesty. I’ve got to say your company was much more enjoyable than that of the girl.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, a wet fury bubbling inside her, she took out her sword and charged toward her, hitting it against one of the dagger’s on the woman’s hand. “ _You!_ You took _everything_ from me!” 

“Oh don’t be so dramatic. You got everything back. Well, mostly everything.” The woman chuckled. “A shame your husband had to pass. Of course, that’s his fault for being so foolish.” 

Madeline started to yell, pulling back her sword and swinging it again. The woman rolled her eyes and kicked her in the stomach, extending the sole of her boot to emphasize the attack. 

“Madeline!” Adira reached out her hand, then gripped her sword, charging the woman as well. Hector and Quirin followed behind her, each sharing the same look of rage. 

“Honestly you’re all the same. All so hard headed, you don’t think past your first punch.” She rolled her eyes, sending a wave of rocks around her, sending them flying back.

“I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave my friends _alone._ ” Rapunzel gripped her hair like a rope, swinging it and whipping it around the woman’s wrist. She yanked it forward, knocking her off balance before sending a swift kick to her knee. 

She growled, sending a spiked rock to pull the hair off her wrist, dragging her hair up the wall the further it went. Rapunzel was pulled up the wall as well, letting out a yelp as she did so. 

“Oh come on, Sundrop, you have a little more fire in you than _that._ ” She said with a smile, sending more rocks in her direction, spikes shooting between her arms and legs, giving her something to stand on, but keeping her pinned to the wall. “Are you afraid to hurt your friend? Is that it?”

“Trust me, if she were here, I’d slap her silly. But that isn’t an _option_ right now.” 

“Then if you have no issues with it, _fight back._ Show me the true power of the Sun so that I may harvest it’s light. Show me the extent of your abilities, show me just what you can do.” 

Hector jumped over her, swinging his blade down in an attempt to land a hit on her head, one of the few places not covered in the rocks. She blocked it without much thought, grabbing his shirt collar and throwing him to the ground. 

“I wasn’t talking about _you._ ” She glared down at him, for only a second, as though that was all the attention she was willing to waste on him. “Fine, if the only people bothering to fight at full strength are worthless _cowards,_ I’ll just have to kill two birds with one stone.”

The crack in the wall reopened, the platform shortening and being sent back to the main tower. Eugene and Varian jumped at the sudden motion, a look of concern on both their faces. 

“Shit, this is bad.” Eugene remarked as the platform shortened at increasing speeds.

“Eugene?” Varian said quietly, almost unable to be heard over the howling wind around them. Eugene looked over at the mention of his name, concern only growing at the tone of his voice, growing further the way he looked at him. He was terrified.

Eugene took his hand and gripped it tight, a fierce determination replacing his own personal fear. “Stay close kid.” 

The platform merged with the floor, the cage sliding across it, slowing to a stop a few feet away from Cassandra. She smiled, not affected by the look of rage in Eugene’s eyes.

“How nice of you to join us. Now,” She looked to Rapunzel. “You care deeply for the boy, don’t you. Perhaps you’d treat this fight seriously if you had something to fight _for._ ”

Small spikes and coils of rocks shot up through the cage, growing and twisting around him, poking into his skin. He hissed in pain, shutting his eyes tight to avoid seeing the blood. He gripped Eugene’s hand tighter, practically cutting off circulation.

“Leave him _out of this._ ” Eugene spoke in a low growl, free hand reaching for his sword. 

“Oh, volunteering are you? I suppose the Sundrop’s little boy toy would be a fine replacement. Now,” The woman made the rocks in the cage recede, taking the coils and sending them around Eugene, twisting and squeezing him. “I’d like to speak with our precious little flower here, and I _don’t_ want to be interrupted.” 

The brotherhood stayed silent, unmoving, the only thing indicating their will to end her life being their eyes. She smirked and turned back to Rapunzel. 

“Well?”

Varian fumbled around through the papers around him, grabbing the translated incantation the second his eyes fell on it, rolling it up and looking for a way to get it to her. Lucky for him, Zhan Tiri’s focus was on Rapunzel, unlucky for him, her focus was on Rapunzel. He could try to get Pascal’s attention, maybe then he’d be able to grab the scroll fast enough, but any way he looked at it he’d end up pissing the woman off, though perhaps that was selfish of him, after all, he wasn’t the one getting squeezed to death. 

He met eyes with Adira in his effort to find a solution, she glanced down to the scroll in his hands and made her way to him, not alerting the woman as she did so. 

“What is it?” She asked quietly.

“The fourth incantation, I think it might help. I need to get it to Rapunzel.” 

Adira nodded, taking the scroll and looking to Rapunzel. “Oy! Blondie! I’ve got a power boost for you!” 

Varian’s eyes went wide. “What the hell are you--”

“Power-- Why must mortals insist on using spells to do the work they could do fine on their own!” The woman threw her hands in the air, glaring at the two of them. “She’s the sundrop! She doesn’t need some fool's idea of a key to her power!” 

Pascal took the scroll from Adira, swinging it up to him and holding it out for Rapunzel to read. She nodded, scanning the words and reciting them.

_Power of the Sun, gift me with your light._

Her eyes rolled up, head dropping down as her consciousness seemed to fade. 

_Shine into the dark, restore our fading sight._

She looked up again, hair and eyes glowing a soft gold.

_Rise into the dawn, blazing star so bright._

The woman yelled, sending a large spike directly at her chest. It shattered on impact, along with the rest of the rocks keeping her trapped there. She floated toward her, hair sprawled out in all directions, whipping and twisting around like vines, gold veins glowing through her skin, flowers bursting through them and covering her arms and legs. 

_Burn away the strife, let my hope ignite._

A bright light burned through the room, shattering the rocks around it. Adira kept a tight grip on Varian as the impact hit them, keeping them both from falling off the tower. The rocks around Eugene crumbled to dust, he fell to the ground and started sliding back. Someone caught him before he slipped over the edge, he looked behind him.

“Stay close.” Quirin muttered, a look in his eye he thought he would never see, concern.

 _Let hope ignite._

“ _Fine._ If this is how you insist on fighting me, so be it.” The woman hissed, sending a mountain of rocks in her direction. Rapunzel raised her hand, the rocks shattered instantly, pebbles and shards clattering on the floor.

“That’s _enough._ ” Rapunzel spoke in a voice none of them recognized as well as her own, though Zhan Tiri found it painfully familiar.

She laughed, sending wave after wave toward Rapunzel. “It’s not enough until you, your _power,_ is mine!” 

Rapunzel did not respond, instead raising her arms to block the attacks, no emotion on her face, contrasting with the blind fury of her attacker. The woman slammed her hands together, sending one final wave in response. The following explosion blew them back, sliding further across the room. Hector was the first to go flying, slipping just over the edge before Adira grabbed his hand, yanking him back with her. Quirin grabbed Madeline as well, pulling them all around him, his boots digging deep into the ground. 

The woman let out a cry of pain, feeling as though her soul was being ripped from her body, every part of her tearing against itself. She stepped back, the impact of the explosion too much for her, she fell over the edge. 

The dust settled and Rapunzel fell to the ground, the glow fading from her hair. Eugene pushed past everyone to run to her, lifting her up to him. “Sunshine?”

She blinked open her eyes and smiled. “Hey.” 

He let out a breathy laugh and hugged her tight. “Ha, I know this is kind of an emotional moment for you, but I just gotta say, that was _awesome._ ”

“See I told you we should’ve gone this way! So much for your ‘thief instincts’--” Kiera looked at the destroyed room, rocks sprawled and scattered around them. “We _missed_ it!” 

Lance and Caine high-fived behind the two children, catching the eye of Rapunzel and Eugene, who smiled. Catalina pushed past them grabbing Kiera’s hand and running over to the brotherhood. 

“V, I’m so glad you’re ok!” She said as she slid across the floor, pulling him into a tight hug, one that Kiera joined almost immediately.

“Agh, please don’t break my ribs more than they’re already broken!” He wheezed out.

“Next time don’t _worry_ us like that.” Kiera grumbled, hugging him tighter.

“Oh, um, sorry. Didn’t think it’d matter all that much.” He muttered, laughing slightly. 

Lance, Eugene, and Rapunzel walked over to them, joining the hug, as did the brotherhood. Caine rolled her eyes, chuckling as Varian looked ready to crawl out of his skin. Lance looked over at her, reaching out a hand.

“I’m good, thanks, hugs aren’t my thing--” Caine started to say before she was tugged in as well. 

“Welcome to the family.” He mumbled as the lot of them hugged each other tight. “You’re stuck with us, whether you like it or not.”

* * *

Zhan Tiri opened her eyes, putting her hand to her head as she pushed herself up. Something felt different, off about how she gripped the rocky floor, an extended balcony off the towering fortress. Cassandra pushed herself up as well, hissing in pain. They met eyes, Cassandra’s wide in fear, she sent a sharp spike at her chest.

That’s when she made the connection. The pain that she felt, a burning sensation flooding through her chest, the hot boiling blood that dripped down her ice cold skin. She started to laugh, screaming, howling laughter as she pulled herself from the rock.

“Cassandra, if that were enough to kill me I would have been dead already.” The wound faded away as if it were nothing. 

Cassandra started to back away, slapped her hand against her mouth, shaking.

The girl chuckled. “I’m sorry dear, you’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering about the change in tags, my sister read through chapter 6 and went on a half hour rant about how caine and lance had really good chemistry and how them being in a relationship would be a great conclusion to both of their arcs, lance learning responsiblity, caine learning to trust someone, and them both being on equal footing instead of adira being leagues above lance. So um. if im being dragged into rarepair hell, im taking you down with me.


	9. Chapter 9

“Alright if you people don’t let me go I _will_ use a knife.” Varian groaned, happy that they finally let go of him. “Fuck, who needs bones anyway.” 

“We need to get out of here. Don’t know when that she-devil will come back, but I don’t wanna be here when she does.” Hector pointed out, also inclined to break from the hug as soon as possible. 

The others silently made their way across the top floor to the stairs, staying wary of the rocks scattered around, the lack of any wall, no way to stop them from falling off, and a chance of Cassandra-- no, not Cassandra. They didn’t know who it was they were fighting, well, some did, but those who didn’t knew at the very least it wasn’t their friend. They made their way down the steps without a single word between the lot of them, all too concerned to make conversation. 

Varian’s muttering served as white noise, they tried their best to tune him out, not wanting to hear something they shouldn’t. He spoke quietly at the very least, letting them know he was uncomfortable with the idea of them hearing what he was saying, only furthering their motive to ignore it. Everyone visibly relaxed the second they stepped outside the fortress, conversations starting and growing in volume once they could no longer see the base of the tower. 

“So, hide and seek reigning champion?” Adira leaned down, looking to Angry as she skipped along.

“Oh yeah. Catalina says _she’s_ actually the reigning champ because I ‘talk and give away my position’ but I don’t think that counts!” 

“Of course it doesn’t, you’re simply announcing your presence.” 

“Right! You get it.” Angry threw her hands in the air, then let them fall down. “I mean, the way we play it the seeker has to _catch_ you, not just see you, so if I simply let out a battle cry and catch the seeker _first,_ I still win!” 

“They can’t catch you if you catch them first, a solid strategy.” 

“Thank you! At least someone appreciates it.” 

Adira chuckled, putting a hand on her shoulder and patting her back. “Don’t worry, I got a similar reaction when I used that technique on Madeline during a game back in the day.” 

“I’m sorry _what?_ ”

“The brotherhood and I would play hide and seek all the time. If you live in a castle as vast as that, you’re bound to use its secret passageways to your advantage. Madeline always ended up the seeker because she managed to lose at rock paper scissors _every time,_ which, I have no idea how she managed that. Quirin was very bad at the game, always picking the most obvious spots.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot imagine that man being capable of having fun.” 

“Ha, I can understand why you’d think that. He’s always been the sort to get us out of trouble rather than in it.” Adira laughed. “Hector and I would pull pranks on him often. During the game we would sneak through the secret passages and scare the living daylights out of Quirin, making him lose instantly. He hated it.” 

Angry started cackling, wrapping her arms around her stomach and leaning back. “What a baby!” 

“Hmph, yeah, he still turns red as a tomato anytime I bring up our childhood.” Adira smirked. “You know, you’ve got quite the skillset.”

Angry stopped laughing, crossing her arms, smiling instead. “You could say that, yes.”

“I heard about your history as a thief, you’ve already got experience in fighting. I could give you a few pointers, perhaps show you how to wield a proper weapon. How do you feel about a mace?” 

“I feel pretty good.”

Adira held out her hand. “I look forward to working with you.” 

Angry uncrossed her arms to shake Adira’s hand. “As do I.”

* * *

“So,” Hector slowed down his pace to match with Caine’s, who was staying in the back of the group. “You’re new.”

“That I am. What a clever observation you’ve made.” Caine twirled the knife in her hand, not bothering to look at him. “Why exactly are you talking to me?”

“Because Adira’s busy adopting a child, and she’s the only one that’s any fun to talk to.” Hector glared at her, pointing a dagger in her direction. “Don’t tell her I said that.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

They walked in silence for a moment before Hector spoke again. “So um...knives.” 

“Yep.” 

Hector sighed, seeing that he would most likely be spending the trip back to Old Corona in silence, though he preferred that to putting up with the cheery attitude of a certain blonde, how Caine put up with her was beyond him.

“Come on guys loosen up a little!” Rapunzel slid between them, putting an arm around each of their shoulders. Speak of the devil. “We’re all friends here!”

“Really? Because you and that big guy over there don’t exactly seem like besties.” Caine glanced over to Quirin, who was walking by himself, a strong focus ahead of him. 

“Ok that’s different--” Rapunzel turned red, looking to the side and laughing awkwardly before slipping back into her cheerful persona. “You two have so much in common!”

Caine raised an eyebrow. “Like what?” 

“Well! You’re both very...stabby.” 

Hector paused. “So...knives.” 

"Yes, knives." Rapunzel hung her head, hands sliding down to her sides. “I’m very bad at this.”

“Well uh, there’s one more thing we have in common, if that helps.” Caine put her knife back in her pocket, putting a hand behind her neck.

Rapunzel perked up, smile growing as wide as it was before. “Really?”

“We both find your blinding optimism sickening.” 

Rapunzel frowned. “Well that’s not very nice!”

“We’re not very nice.” Caine and Hector spoke in unison, matching scowls on both their faces, scowls which morphed into smirks at the comment.

* * *

“Hey, uh, your momjesty-- Mad-- your majesty--” Eugene sighed. 

“You’re still having trouble with that, aren’t you?” Madeline chuckled. “You can just call me by my name.” 

“Yeah, ok, let’s go with that. Madeline, are you doing ok?” Eugene spoke again, a quiet mutter. “So weird, still so weird.”

“I’m fine.” She gave a quick, small smile before it morphed back to a frown.

“You looked like you were about to rip Cassa-- that woman’s head from her body.” Eugene shuddered when he thought back to it, the pure, blind rage in her eyes. 

“She’s a demon, not human by any means, and she doesn’t deserve to be referred to as such.” Madeline narrowed her eyes, an expression of melancholy and discontent turning to a sharp hatred. 

“Oh, right, sure.” Eugene messed with his shirt collar, trying to think of something to say, something that might not set her off. “So um...what exactly is your history with her?”

“I lived in the dark kingdom. The history of our entire _civilization_ is her history.” She said matter of factly. “We’ve spent a millennium worshipping her very existence, appeasing her in what ways we thought would be satisfactory as not to incur her wrath, and yet, in all her sadistic malevolence, destroyed every aspect of our people and our legacy, cursed my husband to rot away to nothing, and cursed me to drift into insanity.” 

“I...wow. That…. _sucks._ ” Eugene mentally face palmed the second those words left his mouth, glanced over to see her reaction. She started snickering, snickering that turned to loud bouts of laughter.

“Yes, it sucked so _bad._ Some little girl whispering in my ear ‘Hey, do you want to see your loved ones mutilated and burned alive?’ and I’d say ‘No, I’m eating. I’d like to finish my meal without getting sick to my stomach, thanks.’. She’d say ‘No, fuck you.’ in her little creepy child whisper and then blood would splatter over the table as I’d choke back bile.” Madeline spoke through snickers. “Like, can I just eat in peace? _Please?_ ”

“ _Dude,_ are you ok?”

“No, not in the slightest.” She deadpanned. “I never thought I’d find myself wishing death upon a child, and yet I have never wanted someone’s head on a _spike_ as much as I do now.” 

“Yeah, fair enough.” Eugene rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you-- want to talk about it?”

“Is that not what I just did?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not what I meant. Maybe just-- tell me how much she pisses you off. If you let out all that anger now it might be easier to get a clear mind when you fight her again.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Madeline paused for a moment, then spoke again. “Who do you despise most in this world?” 

“Difficult question, I’ve got a lot of enemies.” Eugene huffed. “Well, not really, I’ve got one person I hate more than anyone. Gothel.” 

Madeline tilted her head, a confused expression on her face.

“Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know her. She was kind of a recluse from what I could tell, a weird witch lady with an ego problem.” Eugene looked behind him, smiling at Rapunzel as she conversed with two other members of their party, then looked back to Madeline. “She’s the one who took Rapunzel. She also kind of killed me for a bit.”

“She _what?_ ”

“Yeah it was pretty painful-- dying, I mean-- but Blondie fixed it so it’s chill. But, I’m not mad about what she did to me.” 

“What are you mad about then?”

“Every night, the first few months after we started living in the castle, she’d have a nightmare about that woman. Sometimes it was what she did to me, sometimes it was things she said to her, or if she’d... _come back,_ somehow. And every night, she’d crawl into my bed and cry for hours. What Gothel did to her, how she hurt her in ways that will never go away, no matter how much I wish they would, it’s something I’ll _never_ forgive her for.” 

“What would you do, if she did come back?”

“Why I’d take her stupid dagger, slit her throat, and put her head on a _spike--_ ohhhhh.” Eugene stopped. “Did I just... rant for you?”

“Took the words right out of my mouth, yeah.” Madeline smiled. “Thank you for this. It really did help.” 

“Uh, yeah. No problem.”

* * *

Catalina walked circles around him, flailing her arms around. “Are you ok? Are you sure you can walk the whole way back? I could go wolf and carry you if you want-- or Lance could, that might be easier. Yeah, that works. Do you want Lance to carry you back?--”

“No, I’ll be fine. Please stop asking questions.” Varian threw his hands down to his sides, flinching when they hit. 

Lance walked up to match their pace. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t mind. You look like you’re in a lot of pain. Actually, you look really pale, are you going to pass out? Because if you think you’re going to pass out I’ll just pick you up right now--”

“If you do I _will_ stab you. And no, I’m not going to pass out. I think. How would I know?” 

Lance raised an eyebrow. “With what knives are you going to stab me? Do you just carry a knife on you at all times?” 

“Several.” Varian’s eyes went wide. “Don’t tell Eugene.” 

Catalina smiled. “Hey, Eugene! Guess what Varian has--” 

Varian slammed his hand over her mouth, yanking it off after a few seconds. “Did you just _lick_ my hand?--”

Catalina stuck out her tongue, then smiled wider. “I won’t tell Eugene if you promise to let one of us carry you back.”

“Why you little-- No! No one is carrying me! I can walk fine on my own thank you very much--” Varian stopped, hissing in pain and reaching to his torso. “ _Fuck._ ”

“Agh! You moved too much!” Lance put his hands to his face. “Do you need to stop? Are you sure you’re ok?”

“For the hundredth time I’m _fine--_ ”

“You should probably listen to them.” Quirin commented, shocking them to silence in an instant. “Rib injuries aren’t something to be taken lightly.” 

“Ok so I’ll ignore them out of spite then.” 

“What?”

“I’m saying I’m going to ignore it out of spite. No one cares what you have to say, least of all me.” Varian’s eyes went wide as he spoke, just as shocked as everyone else as to what he was saying. “I’m so sorry-- wait no, I’m not-- wait _fuck._ ”

Quirin stayed silent for a moment, still in shock before he composed himself. Shock turning to silent rage, his eyes narrowed to slits and his hands morphing to fists. “Is there anything else you’d like to get out while you’re feeling brave?”

“I can assure you I’m two seconds away from a mental breakdown right now, no bravery here. I’m a coward. But if you _must_ know--”

“Woah hey why don’t we all just take a second and think about this--” Lance jumped between them, putting a hand on Varian’s shoulder in an attempt to stop him.

“No, actually I _am_ feeling kind of brave. I think you’re an asshole, and I’ve wasted my life away caring what you think of me.” He stopped for a second, taking in his own words. “ _Holy shit I’m going to **die**_ \-- I’ve spent years working my ass off for some semblance of approval from you in just about anything, what I do, who I interact with, my existence in general, but I just don’t care anymore.” His voice shook, along with his hands, the lack of confidence in his demeanor a stark contrast to the words coming out of his mouth. “ _I’m going to die, I am going to die._ ” 

“Is that _really_ how you think of me?” Quirin spoke in a low growl, towering over him and size and energy.

“I’m not sure what I think of you. I used to look up to you, I used to really, genuinely care about you. Now? I’m not so sure.” He stopped again, slapping a hand over his mouth before it slid off of its own accord. “Holy _shit_ \-- I’ve spent enough time away from you I’ve finally been able to see how fucked up you are! I mean, seriously, It’s like you’re embarrassed I’m related to you! I bet you’d be glad if the king was able to go through with the execution attempts, then you’d finally be rid of me!”

“And _why_ have you neglected to tell me this?” 

“Because I didn’t want to hear your stupid fucking lectures!” He yelled, then immediately spoke in a whisper. “You always say ‘You can talk to me Varian.’ or ‘Why don’t you ever tell me when somethings bothering you?’. Have you ever thought I won't tell you anything because I don’t want to be insulted for it?”

“Varian--”

“Maybe I don’t ever tell people when something’s up with me because I think they’re all going to be like _you_ and tell me how stupid I am for thinking that’s even a worthy enough problem for them to bother with.” 

“ _Varian--_ ”

“You couldn’t give two shits about me if you tried! You just like using me as some sort of reference to complain about how difficult your life is--”

“That’s **_enough,_** Varian.” 

Varian sucked in a breath, the shaking in his hands spreading to the rest of his body.

“Actually, that’s enough from you.” Catalina growled, stepping in front of them. Her eyes glowed red, claws and fangs sprouting out as well as tufts of fur.

“What the _hell_ are you--” Quirin balled his hands into shaking fists, shocked to find himself in a state of fear at the sight of her, a small child who barely came up to his torso. 

“Catalina, don’t.” Lance took her arm, pulling her aside, then looking to Quirin. “We need to stop this conversation, and since you’re the only one capable of doing so, suck it up and stop talking.” 

“Suck it up?-- You’ve got to be--”

“You heard the man. Suck it _up._ ” Adira said from behind him, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. The others were behind her, all with matching looks of aggression. “Looks like you still haven’t heard the speech enough, huh?” 

Adira pulled him aside before he could protest, Hector and Madeline following behind her. The others looked over at Varian, who was on the verge of tears. 

Eugene put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, kid it’s ok--”

“Ha, wow that’s a _joke_. I mean, I thought we could go a few hours without having an argument, but that was just blind optimism on my part.” Varian laughed nervously, then winced in pain, hugging himself with shaking arms. “God forbid I want a fucking break.”

Catalina took his hand and squeezed, claws and fangs no longer there, her look of anger replaced with concern. He glanced down at her, panic subsiding.

“I’m...sorry you have to deal with this.” He said finally.

“What? Why would you--” Lance started to say.

“Because this is my fault!” He stopped for a moment before speaking again. “If I hadn’t pissed her off you wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath, if I hadn’t given her the incantation she wouldn’t have gotten the rest of the moonstone and we wouldn’t have to worry about a sadistic _psychopath_ taking over anytime she didn’t have the balls to do something!”

“Wait, the hairstripes gone-- I knew there was something missing!” Adira ran up to him, lifting parts of his hair and looking at the color.

“I’m magic-free now, by far the best part about this whole thing.”

“What? No!” Rapunzel frowned. “What happened to being magic buddies?”

“You still have the demon, she’ll suffice.” 

Rapunzel sighed. “You know as concerning as losing the magic buddy title is, I’m a little more worried about how you look like you’re about to fall over.” 

“Or how many times you’ve reached for your ribs.” Caine chimed in. “Just how bad is it? Do you want us to stop?”

“No, really that isn’t--”

“Kid, you said she _threw_ you across the room.” Eugene cut in as well, pushing himself in the front of the group.

Angry grabbed Varian’s free hand, tugging his arm. “She _what--_ ”

“It’s fine! I’ve been thrown across a room before and I was _fine--_ ”

“Yeah, that was back when you had a part of the moonstone, it could’ve provided a form of protection.” Adira added, the brotherhood behind her.

Hector pushed himself in front of Adira. “Plus you’re drugged to hell. We really should take a break and see how bad everything is.” 

“Fuck they’ve multiplied.” Varian muttered to himself as the others continued to crowd around him.

“Varian, just let us help you.” Lance said from behind him, a hand on his shoulder.

Varian looked around him, concerned faces meeting his eyes everywhere he turned. It was overwhelming, the concern on their faces, the girls tugging at his arms, he felt like he couldn't breathe. 

“I don’t…” He started to say, quietly, before he spoke again. “I don’t need anyone’s _help!_ ”

Lance jumped, taking his hand off his shoulder. “Varian--”

“I can handle this just fine on my own, and even if I couldn’t, we can’t afford to stop right now!” He pushed Kiera and Catalina off him, backing away and building distance from everyone. “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but there’s a crazed lunatic on the loose but a few miles away from us! Personally I’d like to avoid dealing with her more than I have to.”

Rapunzel stepped forward. “Well, yes, but I’m sure we’re safe to stop for a little while--”

“Do you people not trust me to know what I can handle?” He took another step back. “I’m not just some weak child you have to baby!”

“That’s not what we’re saying, Varian we just want to _help_ you--”

“I don’t need your help! I don’t need your pity, I-- I don’t need you at all!” He stopped and let out a short gasp, one they first thought to be out of shock. It was followed by several gasps, wheezing, his legs shook and gave out as he fell onto his knees, one arm around his ribs, the other around his neck.

“Varian!” Rapunzel ran up to him, kneeling down and looking him over. “Hey, hey I need you to breathe, please just calm down.” 

“...Rapunzel?” His speech started to slur, his eyes slowly blinking open and shut. “I’m...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“It’s ok, we were being too pushy.” She spoke softly, though she could hide the panic in her eyes when she noticed the blue tint of his skin.

“Shit-- Shit, that’s not good.” Adira pushed past the others, kneeling down next to Rapunzel. She put her hands on Varian’s face, lifting it up to meet her gaze. “Come on Varian, you have to stay awake ok? Come on, please you’re too stubborn to die--”

“Third...third time’s the charm I guess.” He laughed between the wheezes, short, quick breathes he could barely manage to get in, the blinking started to slow even further.

“Don’t say that, _please,_ don’t say that.” Adira moved her hands to his shoulders, shaking him gently. “Come on come on, you’re going to be _fine--_ ”

Rapunzel and Adira were the only ones reacting, the others frozen in place, not sure what to do, what to say, how they could help, if anything would help, really. Lance grabbed Kiera and Catalina and pulled them behind him, the only motion he could manage. It was silent, for just a moment, a deafening silence, so foreign to them compared to the constant sound of conversation they’d grown accustomed to. The silence was broken by a scream.

“Varian!” Rapunzel started crying, shaking him, trying to to get a reaction. “Varian, you stubborn _jerk_ wake up! Come on, please!”

“Stop! Stop, hold on.” Adira took him and laid him down, putting one hand over the other and pushing down on his chest.

“Wait, his ribs they’re--”

“Half of them are broken anyway, what’s a few more!” She spoke quickly, not stopping for a second. “Come on you’ve cheated death enough times already, just one more time.” 

“This isn’t working, we have to try something else!”

Eugene was the first to react, stepping forward and kneeling down, moving slowly, cautiously, not wanting to set anyone off. 

“Rapunzel, is he--”

She looked at him for a second, glaring, before turning back. “Not for long.” 

Rapunzel ripped the beads from her hair and wrapped it around his chest, moving quickly, meticulously. 

“How do you know if it will work--” Adira started to say, tears in her eyes as she held Varian in her arms.

“I don’t know-- I--” She choked back another sob. “I have to try.” She took in a breath and began reciting the incantation. “Flow-- flower gleam and glow, let your power _shine--_ ”

Her hair glowed, a familiar glow which she had long since missed, a glow she was relieved to see. They watched as the glow flowed down from her roots, around his torso, to the tips of her hair. 

“Bring back… what once was mine.” She sucked in a breath. “What once was mine.”

Once again, there was silence. They waited for what felt like hours for something, anything, a breath, a cough, a sign of life. Varian blinked open his eyes.

“I guess your hair _does_ still possess it’s legendary healing powers.” 

“ _Varian!_ ” Rapunzel threw herself onto him, pulling him into a tight hug. Adira squeezed them both, only letting go when Rapunzel pulled away. “Wait, is this ok?”

“I-- yeah, it’s fine.” Varian laughed, then squeaked when she went to hug him again. The others joined quickly, all piling into another giant hug.

They stayed like that for a while, all laughing and crying as they hugged him tight, relieved his ribs were healed so as not to stop them from squeezing him. They let go in waves, those not fond of contact letting go first, then a few followed, until Rapunzel and Adira were left as they were. Quirin stepped forward, cautiously, checking to see who would stop him. He knelt down, waiting for Rapunzel and Adira to let go before he made any move.

“Dad, I’m sorry I should’ve--”

Quirin pulled him into a tight hug before he could finish, Varian could feel hot tears dripping onto his shoulders. “You don’t have to apologize, this was my fault.”

“What?” 

“I haven’t been good to you, that much has been made clear, and it was...difficult for me to wrap my head around everything you’d done while I was gone but-- I get it now.” Quirin hugged him tighter. “I can’t lose you.”

Varian sighed and smiled sadly, returning his hug. “It’s ok dad, you don’t have to do this.”

“I do. I’ve been awful to you, you don’t deserve it.” He let go. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine, really. I don’t blame you.” Varian pushed himself up, slowly, unsteadily. “We should get back.” 

Quirin stood as well, walking toward the brotherhood and staying with them once they started to walk again. Eugene was the first to speak, muttering quietly at a volume only Varian could hear.

“What exactly happened back there? I thought you’d be over the moon he’s finally gotten off his high horse.”

“No, this--” He sighed. “He’ll do this, sometimes. Give it a week.”

Eugene opened his mouth, starting to say something before Lance cut in.

“So! Would it be awkward to ask if I could carry you back now?” Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “Please for my sanity--”

“Yeah, sure.” Varian dragged a hand down his face. “Were you this tired after you died?” 

“Ha, yeah it wears you out.” Eugene chuckled. “Don’t scare us like that kid. If you need help, you can ask for it. None of us would think any less of you.”

“Thanks, that means a lot.”

* * *

They arrived back at the castle with little chatter, small conversations kept to a minimum, no one could bring themselves to talk. Varian muttered to himself for the first part of it, before falling asleep. The brotherhood gave quick goodbye’s before they went off to Old Corona, and the rest went to the castle without a word. Rapunzel pulled Eugene aside, leading him back to her room and sitting the both of them down.

“Are you doing ok Blondie?” Eugene asked, holding her hands in his own.

“I’m not the one who died.” She didn’t meet his eyes. “You know, I had a surprise for you, I was going to reveal it after you blew out your candles.”

“That feels like forever ago.” Eugene laughed softly.

“It really does. When Cassadra showed and...all of that happened, I took it as a sign now wasn’t the right time, but… who knows what might happen before things settle down. I want to do this now, in case I may never get the chance to.”

“What… what are you getting at exactly?” 

“Eugene Fitzherbert,” Rapunzel let go of his hands, taking a box from her pocket and opening it to reveal a ring. “Will you marry me?”

“Sunshine I…” He smiled wide. “I can’t-- you were going to ask me? I mean, I was going to ask you!” 

“I know.” She smiled as well. “And I know this isn’t exactly romantic, or a proper proposal by any means but--”

Eugene cut her off, pulling her into a deep kiss. He pressed his forehead against hers, pushing her hair out of her face and behind her ear. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” 

Rapunzel laughed quietly. “So… is that a yes?” 

Eugene took a box from his pouch, taking the ring and putting it on her finger. “Yes. Yes to the moo-- the _sun_ and back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet y'all thought I wasn't going to do it, huh? FOOLS
> 
> (also why the hell couldn't they just let eugene and rapunzel get engaged?? they can get married later but nothings stopping them from getting engaged. cowards)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed a few things here. I found it kind of weird that they'd keep something as op as a _shapeshifting cloak_ in an unsecure area like that, so this is starting off at the spire instead of her house.

“Now then, Calliope, show me what you have learned.” The Keeper smiled fondly as he watched Calliope race around the Spire, pointing at various artifacts and giving a quick summary of each.

“Here! These are the masks of Alastros,” She took one from its place on the wall and showed it off before racing to another section. “This is a Snafarian sarcophagus and here--”

Calliope stopped in front of a tall niche in the wall, a light shining down an empty space. The Keeper walked over to her, inspecting it. “Is something the matter, child?”

“Well that _should_ be where the Shapeshifting cloak of Retumnus is kept, but--”

“I assumed you were studying it, you haven’t lost it, have you?” 

“Wha-- no no no of course not!” Calliope laughed nervously. “I simply forgot I was studying it, so much responsibility in being the new Keeper, ha-- not that it’s too much responsibility I’ve loved every second of it, but yes, the cloak is fine and well accounted for--”

“Just to be safe, in case anything _has_ been stolen, show me the Ressurection Stone.” The Keeper glared down at her, an expression she had never seen before on his face.

“R-right. Of course!” Calliope muttered to herself, continuing to ramble as she made her way up the steps to take the box from its place. She tripped on the way down, sliding down the steps, bouncing on each one, then hitting the ground with a thud. She recovered quickly, standing up and racing over to him, showing off the box proudly. “Still here!”

The Keeper inspected the box, looking it over. “And the key?”

Calliope grabbed the keychain from her belt and shook it. “Still here as well!-- somewhere.” 

“Perfect. May I see it?” The Keeper held out his hand expectantly.

Calliope looked at his hand, then up to him, gripping the keychain and box, holding them closely to her chest. “Well the box can only be opened by this key, so if it’s still closed you won’t have to check it.”

“Then if there’s nothing to be concerned over, you should have no problem with me checking it. There are a few things to go over with this, as it is a... _very_ important artifact.” The Keeper kept his hand extended, narrowing his eyes. “Unless there’s something I should worry about?” 

“Nothing! It’s-- it’s nothing.” Calliope relaxed and handed him the box, going through the keychain to find the key. She perked up at a small bark, the kurlock pup, biting and racing around the Keeper’s feet. The Keeper seemed uncomfortable with its spastic behavior, which seemed odd to her, though she was starting to form a list of things that confused her about him. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing.” The Keeper kicked at the kurlock, attempting to get it off him. “Could you keep your pet under control?”

Calliope’s eyes went wide, not just at the apparent distaste of her pet, a hatred so foreign to see come from him, but at the way his cloak moved, black metal boots peeking out through it instead of the usual off-white. She laughed nervously. “You know, I think I left the key in my study room! This will only take a second!” 

She raced to the back of the Spire without another word, tripping down the steps to its basement and going through the artifacts for something in particular. She knew The Keeper would recognize the fact she didn’t have a study room at the spire, though she knew that it wasn’t The Keeper she was speaking with. 

“Come on come on where are you?” She muttered to herself, pushing past the bottles for one in particular. She let out a triumphant cry when she came across a lime green bottle. She took a black twisted key from the chain and dumped it in the bottle, then started writing a letter. 

“Rapunzel, I’m in danger, keep this safe.” She spoke quietly and rolled it up, throwing it in the bottle and sending it off. 

“For someone so smart, you really are stupid.” The Keeper’s voice sounded different, distorted, more like that of a woman’s voice. 

Calliope whipped her head around to see a horned demon, bright blue lights dripping from parts of her armor, from her eyes, from her mouth, which she found gross, though she was too frightened to comment. “It’s too late! You can’t open that without the key, and I just sent it miles away where you won’t be able to get your grubby little hands on it!” 

“Oh I know where it is, you’re predictable like that. But, perhaps you can be of use to me, even without the key.”

* * *

Rapunzel strummed various chords on her guitar as she hopped and danced around the snuggly duckling, jumping onto the bar, from table to table, various patrons, as well as her fiance all clapping along to the rhythm. Eugene stood up and continued clapping, then got hit by a swing chandelier, falling into on of the men’s arms. They laughed, a laugh that spread to the rest of the tavern.

Rapunzel hopped from the table she stood on and walked toward Attila, about to drag him into a dance when a green light shone between them. She stopped playing, everyone around her going into battle stances as a bottle poofed from the light. 

Attila took it, inspecting it for a moment to see if it held a threat.

Rapunzel relaxed, a wide smile forming on her face. “Woah! I’ve read about these! Enchanted message bottles-- Oh, I’ve always wanted to get one.” 

“Well, it’s your lucky day,” Attila took a rolled-up paper out and handed it to her, as well as the bottle. “It’s addressed to you.” 

“Yes!” Rapunzel pumped the fist with the bottle in it, then read the paper out loud. “‘Rapunzel, I’m in danger, keep this safe.’ It’s signed by...Calliope.” 

“Oh goodie. Can’t say I’ve missed _her._ ” Eugene spoke with a glare, one that receded at Rapunzel’s matching one directed at his comment. 

Her expression softened, changing to concern. “She needs our help.” She said, shaking out the remnants of the bottle to find a twisted black key. “And she needs us to keep _this_ safe.” 

“A key? Really?” Eugene raised an eyebrow looking it over. “Why not, I don’t know, whatever box I could lockpick in three seconds?” 

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes, setting the bottle on the bar and putting both the note and the key in her bag. “I’m sure she had her reasons. But if there is a chance whatever this opens won’t require its key, we should make sure both it and Calliope are safe.” 

“Great, so we’ll have to pay our favorite know-it-all a visit.” 

Rapunzel smirked and rolled her eyes. “You could always stay, you know. Someone has to rule the kingdom while I’m gone.” 

“And leave you to fend against this mysterious evil by yourself? No thanks, let Nigel handle it.” Eugene chuckled when Rapunzel crossed her arms, already knowing what she was about to say. “Yeah I don’t like him either, but I’m paranoid and would like to know you’re safe, indulge me.” 

Rapunzel’s smirk turned to a warm smile. “You know I don’t need anyone to protect me.” 

“Yeah, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little backup.” 

Rapunzel gave him a quick kiss, then wrapped her hand around his, her smile growing wider at the golden shine on both their fingers. “It’s a date. Let’s fire up the balloon!”

* * *

“You know there are much...warmer routes of travel than that.” Varian eyed the red line across the map, specifically the icy tundra it passed. “Kresten Loch? Really? Does your hair have some sort of warming capability as well?”

“Hey this hair saved your life, don’t knock it.” Rapunzel frowned and pet her hair. “And yes, actually, it makes for a great blanket, but to ease your concerns,” Rapunzel pointed down to a pile of coats and gloves on the basket’s floor. “I have a backup plan.” 

“Alright, ok. Are you sure you don’t need any backup for this mysterious threat? I wouldn’t mind giving you some...alchemical help.” Varian smirked and tossed one of his chemical bombs in the air before putting it back in his bag and returning to his work. 

“Sorry kid, you’re grounded.” Eugene cut in, leaning against the basket’s edge and fiddling with the newly added steering mechanism. “No mysterious and/or magical threats for you for the next month.” 

“You puncture a lung and suffocate to death _once_ and suddenly you’re banned from fighting. Disappointing.” Varian groaned, mumbling other complaints to himself before speaking up again. “Don’t touch that.” 

Rapunzel smiled as Eugene pouted and attempted to stand still. “So, what exactly is this necessary upgrade of yours?”

“Well, since I’m banned from helping you _fight_ until further notice, I figured I might as well make it easier for you navigate through an icy tundra of death on the way there-- don’t touch that.” Varian slapped his hand on Eugene’s to stop him from fiddling with the steering again, tightening the last bolt before setting the wrench down, finally finished. “Now you can not only go up and down faster, but this steering wheel should let you turn whatever way you wish-- don’t touch that either-- just in case the frozen waves are a problem.” 

“Ah, thank you, Varian. The help is always appreciated.” 

“Yeah yeah it’s not a problem-- OH GOD DON’T TOUCH THAT IT’LL BLOW!” Varian shouted suddenly, scaring Eugene and making him fall to the ground. Varian started cackling, holding his stomach and leaning back as Eugene pushed himself up and glared. “You’re just as easy to scare as Lance!” 

“At least I don’t scream like a girl.” Eugene muttered. His eyes fell on a bucket of glue, he smiled and slipped out of the balloon’s basket while the two were distracted.

“Are you sure you’ll be ok traveling through that? I mean, so long as you stay on course and keep a solid speed going, you should make it there before it gets dark, which then, I’d be really worried, but there’s still the native creatures there to worry about-- Ever heard of Vodnicks? Yeah, mean dudes, one of the main reasons I wouldn’t go there, also because it’s, you know, a wintery dead expanse with nothing inhabiting it being non-hostile, and--”

Rapunzel put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him from his rant. “I’ll be fine, Varian. Don’t be such a worrywart.”

“Worrying is what I do best, princess. But, fine. If it were anyone other than you suggesting this I wouldn’t let this balloon two inches off the ground--” Varian let out a quick yelp as he fell to the ground, feet slipping out of his boots, which were firmly glued to the ground. “Wha-- who?--”

“Ha! That’s payback, for both me _and_ Lance.” Eugene held a glue-covered brush proudly, free hand on his hip, a smirk on his face. “Eugene Fitzherbert never forgets.” 

“Did you forget the glue is stuck to your hand too?” Varian chuckled as the man swatted at the air, attempting to get the brush off his hand. 

Eugene took off his gloves, replacing them with a pair in the basket and getting in himself. “Let’s get this thing fired up before we start another prank war.”

* * *

Zhan Tiri sent spike after spike of the black rocks at the chest, puncturing every known vulnerability on its surface before sighing and giving up. “Well, that marks brute force of the list.”

Calliope moved her mouth around in an effort to push the gag off her face, let out a quick noise of triumph, then commented. “I _told_ you the box was unbreakable?”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Usually, this sort of magic doesn’t follow the same rules as everything else, _and_ I’ve never not had the key. _Imbecile._ ” Zhan Tiri muttered to herself, various things along the lines of ‘idiot’ or ‘I should’ve just killed her’. 

Although the idea that killing her was still on the table, Calliope chose not to focus on that. “What do you mean you’ve ‘never not had the key’?”

“Ah, I suppose this form might confuse you. Being an amalgamation of my host and myself and all.” The woman chuckled. “I’m featured in quite a few of your artifacts, though, they may have exaggerated me. Got the horns right at least.”

Calliope’s eyes went wide. “You’re…” 

“Good, you’ve put it together. What a clever girl you are.” Zhan Tiri patted her head, smiling as Calliope pulled against the rope around her. “Now you know the fate you’ve given to your friends.”

For once, Calliope stayed silent, contemplating everything said, the information she now had, she was pulled from her thoughts by quiet laughter. The woman crouched down, picking up the box and twisting it back and forth.

“I’d be in my right mind to thank you, Keeper.” She turned over to her, a sinister smile plastered across her face, pointed fangs poking out. “You’ve given me the perfect idea to acquire the key.”

* * *

“We’ve made it,” Rapunzel spoke suddenly, pulling them both from their thoughts. “Kresten Loch.” 

Eugene picked up two of the coats from the basket, giving one to her and putting one on himself. “Hey, Blondie? I know you’re very...deadset on the whole ‘not wearing shoes thing’, but do you think maybe you could--”

Rapunzel chuckled. “I’ll be fine, Eugene. It’s not like we’ll be walking in that.” 

They fell back into a comfortable silence, Rapunzel focusing on steering around various spiked waves of ice, Eugene occasionally giving a direction to keep them on track. Pascal huddled himself into the fur lining of Eugene’s coat, turning himself blue and shivering to emphasize how cold he was.

“Yeah frog, I feel you.” Eugene glanced over to one of the waves, a large sea creature frozen into it. “But look on the bright side! At least you’re not that guy.”

Rapunzel smiled and looked back at him. “If we keep this pace up, we should make it through in just under an hour. You won’t have to freeze much longer.”

A few feet in front of them, and a few hundred feet below them, a small glowing figure muttered to herself, raising a hand and slashing it through the air. She smiled, knowing her work was finished and returned to her place of hiding.

Eugene let out a sigh of relief, though his relief was quickly replaced with concern as the balloon started to fall. “Uh, Blondie? We’ve got a problem.”

Rapunzel looked up to the balloon, seeing the tear in its fabric. “Wha-- But we didn’t hit any of the waves!” 

“Well, something must have cut it! We need to find a safe spot to land before we impale ourselves on one of these spikes!” 

“Ok, brace yourselves!” Rapunzel gripped tight on a lever, pulling it back and turning the wheel with her free hand. The balloon ducked and dove around various waves of ice, swerving and jerking at any sign of danger before it slid across the snow and stopped in its tracks. 

Eugene released his tight grip on the basket’s edge and ran over to Rapunzel, looking her over. “You ok?”

“Yeah, but we need to fix this tear. And fast.” Rapunzel hopped out of the balloon, letting out a small squeak when her feet hit the ice. She scuttled across the ground and sighed when she reached the balloon, much preferring it to the snow.

“See what I mean? You’ll freeze your feet off your legs at this rate.” Eugene walked over to the tear and pulled a needle and thread from his bag. “You wanna do it or should I?”

Rapunzel was about to answer when she heard another voice from behind her, someone was calling for help. “You start sewing, I’ll go see who this is.” 

“Be careful!” Eugene called out, then began sewing the fabric back together. 

“Helloooo!! Hello, hello!” Rapunzel called out, looking around the waves to see where this mysterious person may be. She found herself regretting not staying by the balloon, as Eugene would have been much better suited for a search, but she couldn’t turn back now. 

“Rapunzel! Thank goodness you’re here!” Calliope tripped over herself running up to her, pulling the woman into a tight hug.

“Calliope! Wha-- how did you get here?” 

“I escaped! Just barely, I don’t know how I managed to get out alive, but I did! I started travelling to Corona-- so I could find you, but I got lost, I thought I would freeze to death, but now you’re here!” Calliope hugged her again before letting go.

“Well come on, our balloon got banged up on the way, my fiance is fixing it.” Rapunzel smiled to herself, a warmth in her chest growing at the sound of that word, much warmer than her feet, which was the cause of her fast pace Calliope could barely keep up with. “Once we fix it though, you can hitch a ride.” 

“Are you going to confront her?”

“Her?” 

“Cassandra-- at least I _think_ it’s Cassandra. She looked nothing like herself--”

Rapunzel gripped Calliope’s shoulders, a look of determination on her face. “Calliope, what is it that she’s after?”

“The Resurrection Stone. It can summon ghosts and return them to their physical forms, though I don’t know what she would use it for.” 

“Well, whatever her plans are for it, we can’t let her get her hands on the stone.” 

“Wait-- are you going to the Spire?” 

Rapunzel paused for a moment, making a mental note of how Calliope pronounced the word spire, before attributing it to shock and moving on. “Yes. Just to be safe.” 

“Blondie!” Eugene waved her down from where he sat on the balloon, his relief fading slightly at the sight of Calliope running beside her. “I’m just about done here.”

“Good!” Rapunzel smiled, not so sneakily stepping onto the balloon and sighing. She jumped at a howl a few feet away from them. “What’s that?” 

Several icy blue creatures stepped out from behind the waves, creatures that looked as though they should not possess the legs they were crawling on. Clear sharp claws dug into the ground, a few lifting a paw to swat at them. Rapunzel stepped forward, putting an arm in front of both of them and taking out her frying pan. 

“Sew Eugene, sew like you’ve never sewed before!” 

Eugene nodded, not needing further conversation. Rapunzel stood at the edge of the balloon and held tight to her frying pan, quickly whacking any Vodnicks that got too close. She found herself on the defensive, too many Vodnicks to hold back, she was surrounded. 

“Are you almost done?!” Rapunzel called back to him, sending a quick wack down onto one of the creature’s heads.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” 

Calliope seemed unafraid, brows furrowed in frustration the more Vodnicks swarmed around them. She closed her eyes and muttered to herself, a language no one could understand, her eyes glowing a bright blue, though no one bothered to notice. The Vodnicks, however, did. They cowered in fear, eyes glowing a similar color, and scampered off back into the waves. 

“Oh! I accept your surrender!” Rapunzel tossed her frying pan and caught it in the same hand, smiling nervously and looked back at Eugene and Calliope. 

Eugene stayed quiet for a moment, still focused entirely on his work before throwing down the needle triumphantly. “Ha! Let’s get going!” 

Rapunzel nodded and led the two into the basket. Eugene helped her fire up the balloon, racing up as fast as they could manage, not wanting another interaction with the Vodnicks. Once they were solidly in the air, Rapunzel took back her position as navigator, steering through the waves and adjusting at Eugene’s instruction. 

Calliope took one of the extra coats from the bottom of the basket and huddled into it. She stayed silent for a moment, though she grew tired of the silence fast. “So you guys are just...moving on?” 

“Yep!” Eugene popped the p at the end of his remark, not looking up from his map.

“I...wow. Ok.” Calliope leaned against the edge of the basket, falling back into the silence.

Rapunzel found this odd, already long since used to Calliope’s endless rants about her expertise, something to fill the void at the very least, the woman seemed genuinely terrified of silence, talking to herself even if no one would bother to talk to her. She let Eugene take over the steering and leaned next to Calliope.

“Hey, you ok?” 

“Hm? Yeah. Just a little...shaken up I guess.”

Rapunzel hummed, crossing her arms. She uncrossed them again and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you _sure_ that it was Cassandra who took the stone?”

Calliope snorted. “Unless you know another woman with a stab first ask questions later mentality like _that_ , I think it’s her.” 

“No that’s not what-- no. It’s-- it’s” Rapunzel stopped and sighed. “It’s more complicated than that.” 

Calliope looked up at her, confused and slightly concerned, about to voice said concern when Rapunzel spoke again.

“Oh! We’re almost to the Spire!” Her smile fell slightly. “Let’s hope we’re not too late and Cass hasn’t gotten that box open yet.” 

“Speaking of the box, where is the key? Is it safe?” 

“Oh!” Rapunzel patted her bag. “Super safe, even got its own security system.” Pascal jumped out of the bag and squeaked aggressively, making Rapunzel laugh.

Calliope hummed and stared at the Spire, a look in her eyes Rapunzel didn’t recognize. Eugene landed the balloon and hopped out, opening the door for both of them with a quick remark. Rapunzel smiled and rolled her eyes, though she found her smile fading yet again at the sight of the Spire’s entrance. 

She took in a deep breath and pushed open the door. Calliope raced forward, grabbing the box from one of the first few niche’s. Rapunzel raised an eyebrow, silently making a decision, clueing Eugene in with a quick motion before returning to her cheery persona.

“Ok, here’s the box. Now I just need the key to check if it’s safe.” Calliope held out her hand, slightly confused as Rapunzel stepped back instead.

“Ah...I think I’m gonna pass on that.” 

“Wha-- we _need_ to see the stone is still safe!”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Cassandra can’t pick locks, and that isn’t crushed into oblivion, so let’s just put it back in a safe-- _safer_ spot and find her.” 

“And while we’re at it.” Eugene took his sword from its hilt and pointed it at the woman’s throat. “Where’s Calliope?” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Calliope deadpanned, not at all fazed by the threat on her life. “I’m right here?” 

“No, no you’re not.” Rapunzel smiled. “Otherwise you would’ve corrected me when I pronounced spire wrong. The real Calliope couldn’t resist correcting my mistakes.” 

“Wow, really feeling the love here.” Calliope rolled her eyes. “Very well, I suppose I’ve finally been duped.” 

She grabbed a piece of her skin and ripped it from her face, skin that turned black and gold like the fabric of a cloak, which now lay sprawled across the floor. The woman shot up in height, Tan dress replaced with black and blue armor, a familiar twisted smile plastered across her face. 

“Now, for the key.” Zhan Tiri sent a spike rock through her bag, ripping it from her shoulder and hanging it upside down. The contents fell from it, pencils, paints, paper, though no key. “What?”

“Oh? Is it not in there? I could’ve sworn it was.” Rapunzel smiled slyly, sharing a quick high-five with Eugene as they both crossed their arms smugly. 

Zhan Tiri growled, balling her hands into fists before releasing them and sighing. “Fine, if that’s how you want it to be.” 

She raised her hand, a column of rocks shooting up through the floor in response, Calliope at its center, the edges poking into her skin, pushing further the more Zhan Tiri moved her hand. 

“Calliope!” Rapunzel’s eyes went wide, she started running to her before Zhan Tiri motioned her to stop.

“The key, or the Keeper’s life.” The rocks poked deeper into the Keeper’s skin, drawing a few drops of blood. “Compassion has always been a weakness of yours, one I’m more than happy to exploit.” 

“Do you always have to get your way through threats? Why not friendly conversation?” Eugene quipped, smiling nervously. 

Rapunzel grinded her teeth in resignation and looked at Eugene. “Fine. Give her the key.” 

“Are you sure?--” Eugene started to say, but stopped when he saw the determination in her eyes. He nodded, taking the key from his bag and walking toward Zhan Tiri, he held out the key. “Here. Now let her go.” 

“Of course.” Zhan Tiri smiled and took the key, releasing Calliope. “I am true to my word.”

Calliope ran over to Rapunzel hiding behind her. Rapunzel put an arm around her, sighing in relief before she turned back to Zhan Tiri. “What do you want with the Resurrection Stone?” 

“It’s rather lonely in the tower. Cassandra doesn’t make good company, so I thought I’d call on some old friends.” 

“...The disciples?” Rapunzel couldn’t hide the slight shake in her hand, the fear in here voice, Eugene took her hand and held it tight. 

“Ah, you do have a brain in there after all.” Zhan Tiri chuckled, taking the key and clicking it in the chest’s lock. She took the stone, a small opal, shining a sickly green, gold accents swirling around it, she grinned into its reflection. “This was fun, but I really must be going.

Rapunzel jumped in front of her before she could leave, letting down her hair and gripping it like a weapon. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Oh my, whatever shall I do.” Zhan Tiri rolled her eyes and prepared to summon a few rocks, but was interrupted by the floor disappearing under her. She let out a yelp and hit the ground below with a thud. “What the?--”

“Ha! You seem to forget, we’re in a room full of magical artifacts. And _I--_ ” Eugene cackled. “Have no idea what any of them do!” 

Eugene’s maniacal laughter only grew as he hopped down to the cellar, Rapunzel jumping down to his side, a more serious expression on her face. Zhan Tiri stumbled onto her feet, looking around frantically for the stone. She laid her eyes on it, just a few feet away from her, but only a few feet away from the others. She lunged for it, but was stopped by a...badger?

“So that’s what that does.” Eugene looked down at the bottle he threw onto the floor, which had released several badgers from the dust that emerged. “Why would it do that?” 

“You can’t just _throw_ these things around as though they’re nothing more than children’s toys!” She yelled, demeanor reminiscent of a toddler having a tantrum. “They’re centuries old and _incredibly_ dangerous!” 

Eugene looked her in the eye as he swatted another bottle from the table, shattering on the floor and releasing a few dozen moths. “Oh yeah. Really feeling intimidated.” 

Zhan Tiri growled and reached for a stick, snapping it in half and sending the two pieces at Eugene. A golden string formed between them and tied around him, each half of the stick whipping around his torso. She lunged for the stone again, this time stopped by a body slamming against her. Rapunzel took her disorientation as her advantage and swiped the stone before Zhan Tiri could manage it. 

“Alright! Let’s go.” Rapunzel declared triumphantly and ran to free Eugene from the rope around him. 

Zhan Tiri laughed. “Good luck with that. The Badgerian Rope can only be broken by two things, Aldernian’s Golden Scissors, _or_ the black rocks.” 

Rapunzel looked around the room, eyes falling on a pair of golden scissors. She whipped her hair around it and threw it toward her, cutting him loose.

Eugene smiled. “Snip snip bitch.” 

Rapunzel started to throw up her hair to leave, but found her hair caught on a black spike. The sudden pull at her scalp sent her several feet into the air, the stone slipping from her hands as she automatically reached to her head. 

Calliope fell down into the cellar with a loud thud, holding a sword uncertainly and preparing to attack. Zhan Tiri picked up the stone and threw several beads onto the floor, which turned to a fast-growing ice around Calliope’s ankles. 

“Vodnick beads?-- How did you know--”

“What can I say, I’m a historian.” Zhan Tiri shrugged and laughed, her amusement fading when Eugene threw yet another bottle, this time at her face. Several small kittens sprouted from the dust, scampering over her face and hopping onto the ground. “Would you _stop that?!_ ”

Eugene prepared to grab another artifact nearby, but found it being slapped away by a large hand. The hand grabbed him instead, practically crushing him in its grip.

“Raging Hand of Bombados. Have fun with that.” Zhan Tiri held tight to the stone and summoned a pillar of rocks, pushing her up above them and escaping. 

The rock holding Rapunzel in the air slid down, releasing her and letting her hit the ground. She went to help Eugene free, and was met with an incredibly large finger poking her in the gut and sending her back a few feet.

“Rapunzel! Let me go, I can help.” Calliope kicked against the ice around her feet and waved to her. Rapunzel nodded and used her frying pan to shatter the ice, watching as Calliope ran to a tan bag, slapped the hand and threw its shrunken form back into the bag. Eugene wheezed and fell face first on the floor, grumbling incoherently. 

“I’m going to find the Keeper.” Calliope said, her usual bright and extra demeanor no longer present. She opened a hatch in one of the back corners and climbed up the ladder, picking up discarded artifacts on her way and setting them in their place.

Rapunzel helped Eugene up and sighed. “That was… fun.” 

“Are you going to be ok?” Eugene spoke softly as he put a hand on her face.

“We’ll figure it out.” She put her hand on his and closed her eyes. “We always do.” 

They stayed still for a moment, collecting themselves before Rapunzel opened her eyes again. She gave a strained smile and put up the rest of the artifacts, Eugene following her up the steps to the main floor. He put the sword back in its niche, letting out a small sigh of relief when the floor reappeared. 

“Alright I think that’s the last of it!” He smiled, relieved it was over. He glanced over to see Rapunzel inspecting the open box, shutting it and putting it back in its place. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “You want me to give you some space? Get the balloon ready?”

Rapunzel nodded absentmindedly and watched as he walked out the door.

“Well! I thought he’d never leave.”

She jumped at the sudden voice, so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. She whipped her head around to find the source of the voice, a child, pale blue skin and dark blue hair tied into tight buns, a white dress with small puffs on the sleeves, it made her look younger than she already was, yet somehow she felt older than any being she had ever encountered. 

“Who-- who are you?” Rapunzel asked, stepping back.

“I’m offended. We were just talking, and now you act as if you don’t know me.” 

“ _You._ ” Rapunzel had a sudden fire in her, stepping forward and gripping the handle of her frying pan as though it were a sword. “ _What have you done with Cassandra?_ ”

Zhan Tiri shrugged. “Oh what’s a small possession between friends?”

“If you hurt her I _swear_ you’ll never see the light of day--”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s hard enough maintaining our shaky alliance now that she knows what I can do.” Zhan Tiri sighed. “She’s asleep, if you must know. Taking over like this requires more energy now that I have a physical form, I’m exhausted myself.” 

“I don’t care how you feel! You’re going to feel leagues worse you demonic victorian ghost _jerk--_ ”

“My my I’m just trying to have a pleasant conversation, why must you people always assume I’m going to hurt you.” Zhan Tiri chuckled. “Well, the boy was fair to assume.”

Rapunzel whacked her across the face with the frying pan on instinct. 

Zhan Tiri remained unfazed, not reacting to the attack, not moving at all. “Rude.”

“Why are you here? What do you want with the stone?” 

“I’m here because Cassandra bores me. It’s all Rapunzel this, Rapunzel that, I don’t know what she sees in you.” Zhan Tiri looked her up and down, an expression of disgust on her face. “As for what I want with the stone, I figured I’d bring back some old friends of mine, can’t start a war without soldiers.” 

“What friends?”

“You’ve met them all already. An artist, a butler, and… a mother.” Zhan Tiri watched as Rapunzel connected the dots, the look of terror on her face when she made the realization. “I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to the reunion.” 

Rapunzel stayed silent, lowering her fighting stance and backing away.

Zhan Tiri walked up the steps, reaching for a red hoop on display. “Beware Sundrop, the sun shines now, but your light will not last forever. Count your days, for they might be your last.”

She threw the hoop over her head and disappeared as it bounced down the steps. Rapunzel caught it when it bounced in her direction, eyes wide in disbelief. “Nice to see she’s as extra as ever.”

* * *

“Oh I’ve missed that!” Zhan Tiri laughed to herself as she made her way up the fortress’s steps. She smiled softly when she laid eyes on Cassandra, slumped against the wall. She petted the woman’s hair. “You were very good today, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Cassandra flinched at her touch, something she didn’t find all that surprising. She shrugged it off and made her way to the center of the room, placing the stone on the ground and kneeling to its level. Her eyes growed a familiar green when she spoke, saying words only she could understand, those who used the spell long since dead, though not for long. Her eyes returned to normal, met with three figures, a small smile forming on each of their faces.

Zhan Tiri grinned as well. “This will be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe they introduced the disciples and then never mentioned them again. Cowards, the lot of them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Trigger Warning:** intense gore near the end of the chapter, if you don't want to read that avoid the section from 'I think you've helped enough! ' to 'Get out!'.

Zhan Tiri found it difficult to traverse nearby towns, more difficult than she used to. It frustrated her, to say the least, village gossip was practically the only thing keeping her going over the last few centuries. Immortality, something all of humanity tried so desperately to grasp, and yet did not stop to think of the sheer, unending boredom it would create. She had taken to collecting things, items of great magic that she knew would only grow in importance as time went on. She took a cloak from its place on one of the walls of her home and donned it, taking on another form entirely. 

She sighed and reached to open the door. At the very least, she found it easier to reach things. The form she chose to take being far taller than the child’s body she was forever stuck with. A small mercy, one she would take advantage of whenever the need required. The trek down was long, with her growing reputation as a formidable sorceress came the need to hide. It was inconvenient, living atop a mountain, but her life had accumulated quite a few inconveniences, this was simply another thing to add to the list. 

“Where ya headed, traveller?” A man asked on her way along the dirt road. 

“Out to town, I need supplies.” She answered short and to the point, making sure the man got the message she wasn’t the type for conversation. 

“Ah, best of luck to you then.” He glanced to the ground and kept walking, waving to her as he left in a different direction.

She sighed again. Perhaps she could get food while she was out. When she had first acquired the moonstone, the lack of need for any form of sustenance had frightened her, though now she found it the only convenient part of it all. Money wasn’t an issue if she no longer had to buy provisions. Though, she didn’t mind treating herself now and again. 

“Hello miss, what’ll it be?” The baker, who’s stall she absentmindedly walked up to, asked. 

“Hm. Whatever you have in immediate stock.” She shrugged. “I haven’t a preference at the moment.” 

“Sure thing!” He gave a quick smile and reached behind him. “You’re in luck! I just finished making a pastry not ten minutes ago!” 

“Ah, lucky me.” 

He handed the pastry to her in a bag and held out his hand. “That’ll be eighteen silver.” 

“Prices gone up lately?” She remarked, pulling the change from her bag and handing it to him.

“Ah, yes. Sorry for that. Some man and a few of his...kids? I think they are? Showed up a few days back and bought out my entire stock.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Really?” There’s the gossip she was looking for.

“Yeah, said they were doing some sort of ‘important research’ and needed a long-lasting food supply to last them the next week.” 

A scientist, that could be interesting. Maybe he could offer her a few new additions to her growing collection. “Did he mention what kind of research he was doing?” 

“Hm, I can’t quite recall. Something about the sun and moon, at the very least. Not sure what use he could find staring at the sun other than blinding himself.” The man shrugged and laughed, as if the very notion of studying the stars seemed laughable to him.

Zhan Tiri, however, did not laugh. This man, his research, was far more useful than she could have thought. No, she did not laugh, however, a large smile did creep on her face. 

She thanked the man and left, walking a mile or so from town and setting various items on the grass. She said a few words and threw them in the air, then caught and looked at what they had told her. 

“Heading west?” She perked an eyebrow. “Alright then.”

* * *

Using the runes and her own vast knowledge of the surrounding area, it wasn’t difficult to find his place of residence. A small hut of stone, rather meager for something meant to house four people, in the middle of a large field. She took off her cloak, and prepared to present herself.

Demanitus perked his head up at the sound of a knock at his door. “Who would be out here in the middle of the night?” 

Sugracha, the one who had met his eyes, shrugged. “Should I get it?” 

“No, no that’s alright. I’ll see who it is.” Demanitus sighed and got up from his desk, making his way up the steps to the upper floor, and opened the door.

“Hello! You’re the man I’ve heard so much about.” Zhan Tiri looked up at him, a wide grin on her face. “I believe I have something useful for you.” 

Demanitus turned a ghostly shade of white, his fear turning to rage as he questioned slamming the door in her face. “ _You._ I have done nothing to you! Leave my students and I alone before I have to force you to.” 

“My, no need to jump to conclusions! I was merely offering my--”

“No, I’m not getting involved with you. Goodnight.” And with that, he slammed the door shut. 

Zhan Tiri frowned, finding herself almost... _offended_ by his dismissal of her. Sure, she did have a reputation for hurting men of science for their knowledge, and yes that reputation included a body count that even she would be afraid of if she weren’t so proud of it but to be so blatantly rude like that? Truly despicable. 

She sighed and silently added it to her list of inconveniences. She’d have to wait a while before trying something else, to be sure he wouldn’t get suspicious. Huffing and muttering to herself, she grabbed her cloak and walked further into the woods, far enough he wouldn’t see her, and began eating the pastry. 

“Stupid scientist. Stupid ego. Stupid need to have a stupidly gruesome reputation!” She whisper-shouted to herself, sounding as though she were a child having a tantrum. 

She stopped her sulk at the sound of leaves rustling nearby, a woman in tattered clothes, scratches showing blood on her arms and legs. Zhan Tiri smiled and grabbed her cloak, taking note of the woman’s form, committing every detail of her to memory. 

Demanitus jumped at the sound of a scream from above, then rapid knocks on his door. 

“Ah, it seems that friend of yours has returned. Hope you didn’t offend her.” Gothel spoke softly, chuckling to herself.

Demanitus shuddered and raced up the steps to the door, being met with an injured woman, panting, tears falling down her face. 

“Please, sir, you have to help me!” She practically shouted through her wheezes. “This girl, she came to me on my way to town, she attacked me! I barely got away with my life!” 

“Who--” Demanitus paused, already aware of the girl’s identity. “Why would she attack you?” 

“I don’t know! I did nothing to her! I don’t know if I was just an outlet to her amusement, her anger, I just don’t know!” The woman choked back another sob, trying her best to hide the smirk that tried to form at his visible guilt. “Please, _please,_ I need somewhere to hide. I won’t be any trouble, I promise!” 

“Of course.” Demanitus ushered her inside and down the steps. “I’ll set something up for you to stay.” 

Zhan Tiri did not have to fake her awe at the room, if it could even be called a room. It was a cavern, glowing lanterns emitting gold and red light onto the ground below, a cold marble on every surface. Several desks stood at the corners, various notes and pinned pieces of paper, machines littering empty space, a large board at the very center, notes she recognized to be what she came for. Relief flooded over her, knowing this was not in vain. 

“I’ve got an extra space for you to sleep. It may not be inn-worthy, but you should be safe here.” He walked out from one of the side rooms and looked at her with sad eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened to you.” 

“What sort of research are you doing here?” Zhan Tiri changed the subject, still looking around the room. She walked over to the center board and inspected the notes. 

“Two ancient artifacts. We haven’t been able to see them up close, but we’ve been able to put together information on them from studying their origins.” He looked rather proud of his work, something she found rather laughable. He had good research on the rocks she’d created, but the idea that it was made by some sort of unbiased benevolent being...that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“And we could get so much _more_ done if we could actually _find_ the damn things--” Gothel started to say, but stopped and Demanitus’s responding glare. 

Zhan Tiri raised an eyebrow at that, taking note of the underlying implications. “It really is quite fascinating.” She said finally, looking back to the research. “You know, I’m a bit of a scientist as well. Nothing like this, of course, but ancient artifacts have always been an interest of mine.” 

Demanitus smiled. “Have you ever used one before? They’re far more interesting up close than on paper.” 

“Ah, once. Aldernian’s Golden Scissors. Quite useful.” She sighed. “A shame I couldn’t keep them.” 

“What happened?” 

“This isn’t the first time I’ve interacted with that child.” She glanced to the side, feigning sadness. Demanitus put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her. She found it even harder not to laugh. 

“What are they used for?” Tromus asked, popping up between them. 

Zhan Tiri snorted when Demanitus jumped, it seemed he wasn’t used to that behavior. “For cutting, naturally. They can cut just about anything.” 

“Even the black rocks?” 

“Ah, that’s where the ‘just about’ comes in. Sadly, they cannot.” 

Tromus looked disappointed by that, though she had still grabbed his interest. Zhan Tiri smiled and looked around further, stopping at Sugracha’s desk. She was hunched over a scroll, transcribing a legend on one of the artifacts, the sundrop. 

“What’s this about the sundrop?” She asked, startling the woman.

Sugracha relaxed, slightly. “Oh, I caught this letter from Koto. I managed to copy what it had said before giving it back, now I just have to figure out what it actually says.” 

“And what have you got so far?”

“It’s a flower. Shame, really. I was hoping it would be a tree.” 

“Are you fond of trees?” 

“Yes! They’re really quite beautiful, much larger than a simple flower and capable of bearing much more life. Why, if it were a tree, especially one with fruit, you could give out its healing properties to the masses.” Sugracha smiled sheepishly. “Of course, it’s also because I like trees.” 

Zhan Tiri chuckled. “A peculiar interest for a magic researcher.” 

“I guess.” Sugracha frowned, embarrassment present at the flush of her face. 

“I’m not saying it's something to be ashamed of, of course. You bring up a good point.” She shrugged. “The sundrop would be far more useful as a fruit bearing tree than one measly flower.” 

Sugracha’s frown turned to a wide smile as she started to ramble about various magical trees she’d discovered. Occasionally she’d stop and apologize, glancing nervously to the other disciples, she wouldn’t dare look at Demanitus, then continue at Zhan Tiri’s insistence. They were all so eager for knowledge, mere legends wouldn’t satisfy them. Perhaps, if she couldn’t get the scientist to work with her, she could convince his students. 

“I believe it’s about time for us to retire for the night.” Demanitus said finally, slamming a quill on parchment, clearly stuck on something and wanting space from it. 

“Of course. It’s getting late.” Zhan Tiri rolled her eyes and smiled, then paused. “I don’t believe we ever exchanged names.” 

“Oh! How rude of me. This is Sugracha, Gothel, and Tromus.” He pointed to each of them, then bowed. “And I am Demanitus.” 

Zhan Tiri chuckled. He enjoyed dramatics, how amusing. 

“And I don’t believe I’ve caught your name.” He said, rising from his bow.

Zhan Tiri thought for a moment, attempting to recall the name of her mother, a woman she had not thought of in centuries. “Elizabeth.” 

“Well, Elizabeth, It’s nice to meet you.” Demanitus took her right hand and kissed it.

“The same to you.” Zhan Tiri smirked, her smile only growing at the sight of Gothel gagging behind them.

* * *

The next few days were rather bland, if she was being honest. Of course, this was to be expected. Demanitus had insisted upon having her stay for the next week, simply to make sure her injuries healed and the ‘evil sorceress’ was long gone. This made things easier for her, it gave her enough time to properly attach herself to their group, and make sure she could stay. 

The disciples had gotten attached to her rather quickly, Sugracha rambling endlessly about her various interests, now that she knew it was safe to do so, which Zhan Tiri was more than happy to listen to, Tromus asking her questions about the artifacts she’d encountered, collecting whatever information he could, even Gothel, who seemed less fond of interacting with her, anyone, really, would occasionally pipe in the conversation with an inquiry of sorts, usually when the sundrop was mentioned. 

On the fifth night, when the moon had long since risen and Demanitus was long since asleep, Zhan Tiri pulled the disciples from their studies and into the woods. 

“I have something to show you.” She had said, a mischievous grin on her face. They followed, not afraid, though they felt as though they should have been.

Once they were far enough away from the hut, she stopped and turned around, standing and staring at them, preparing herself for what would soon happen.

“This better be good.” Gothel spoke softly, tired and annoyed. “It’s way too late for useless pranks.” 

“Of course.” She smiled and grabbed part of her face, ripping it off and revealing the child underneath. They let out shocked gasps, the fear they had put off now coming back in one crashing wave. “Do not be afraid, children. I do not wish to harm you.” 

She walked slowly to Sugracha and shut her eyes, they glowed a bright blue when she opened them again, a small tree made from the black rocks sprouting from her hand, the blue light in her eyes pouring from inside the leaves in the tree. She held out her hand for the woman to take it. Fear melting away, she did take it, too focused on the creation’s beauty to be afraid. 

“I heard of the research you were doing on the celestial artifacts, I thought I could offer some information on them. I cannot help with the sundrop, but I can provide more than enough information on the moonstone.” 

“You’re...the moonstone.” Tromus said finally, a look of amazement on his face instead of fear. 

“That I am. Now, shall we get started?” 

The disciples began their list of questions, talking over each other, barely managing to get a word in. Zhan Tiri was unbothered by this, actually enjoying the different kind of attention, interest instead of fear, it was nice. She answered the questions patiently, sometimes showing what she could do when asked. 

“I should have brought paper. I need a quill.” Gothel said, hands on her forehead, pulling back her hair.

Zhan Tiri chuckled. “We could always do this again tomorrow.” 

“You mean it?” Sugracha asked, a wide smile on her face. 

“Of course. This can be...our little secret.” Zhan Tiri pointed her finger against her lips, then put the cloak back on and prepared to leave. 

Tromus raised an eyebrow. “We can’t tell Demanitus? Wouldn’t he like to know all of this?” 

“Oh I’m sure he would. Though, I doubt he’d like to hear it from me.” She sighed. “We’ll have to wait a while longer before we tell him, just long enough he won’t be as...er...shocked.” 

“I...yeah that’s fair.” He glanced to the side. 

“Well, we should head back!” Zhan Tiri smiled and started to walk away. “Don’t want him to wake up and think we’re gone.”

* * *

Demanitus was still asleep when they returned, and when he woke up, a piece of paper stuck to his face, the disciples were already wide awake. They had never slept in the first place, too excited over the moonstone to sketch and write every bit of information they acquired. Demanitus was shocked by this, it was a strong contrast to yesterday, their motivation had been dwindling. Sugracha was looking fondly at a black tree on her desk, doodling absentmindedly onto her paper. 

“When did you get that?” He asked, leaning over to see what she was working on.

“Hm? Elizabeth gave it to me.” 

Demanitus looked over to Zhan Tiri, she shrugged. “I like to collect interesting novelties.”

Across the room, Gothel and Tromus snickered, as though they were in on a joke he could not understand. He shrugged it off, adding it to his mental list of confusion over this morning and returned to his work. 

They found themselves at a similar scene to the night before, the moon high in the sky, Demanitus passed out over his desk. Zhan Tiri opened the door quietly and shushed their excited whispers, taking them out and letting them observe her abilities. She showed the different rocks she could create, explaining the emotional power source to each. 

She showed a yellow coiling rock made by her feelings of superiority and arrogance. She discovered them early on, her first taste of power giving her more than enough fuel to fill her growing hubris. She looked over to the disciples to see their reactions, and found a look of awe on each of their faces. Usually that look of amazement powered the yellow rocks and made them grow more elaborate and large, though she found that was not the emotion that came. 

“What is that?” Gothel asked, looking at a pink rock, imitating vines with roses scattered across them. 

“I...I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before.” 

“It’s beautiful.” The three said in unison. They paused, then started to laugh, embarrassed at the perfect timing. More rock covered roses sprouted and grew. Zhan Tiri smiled, she never thought herself the type to acquire a protege, let alone three, though, now, she could see why Demanitus was so fond of them, she was growing fond herself. 

Their late night research had become a tradition of sorts, though they only snuck out once or twice a week at Zhan Tiri’s insistence. She did not need to sleep, but she knew they did. So, discounting the limitations, the four of them would sneak off while Demanitus was asleep and continue their research. Zhan Tiri found herself learning along with them, finding new rocks that shot up at the presence of emotions she had never bothered to put emphasis on. When the sun would start to crack over the horizon, they’d collect their notes and scurry back to their desks or rooms, pretending to be asleep. 

Demanitus seemed to have no suspicions of their activity, or at least, he made no comment on it. He was happier, actually, pleased that the disciples were showing more interest in the artifacts, and in the new addition to their group. 

“Demanitus, you’re going to starve us all to death at this rate.” For someone incapable of dying, she was very adamant on making sure they didn’t. He smiled to himself, silently grateful for the woman’s reminders, and declared he was going out to get them more food. 

“So, are we doing another session tonight?” Tromus was the first to pipe up, asking the question they were all thinking. 

“I’d rather not have two in a row, child. Don’t want dear old Demanitus to get suspicious of our absence.” 

“Speaking of suspicions, when exactly do you plan on telling him what we’ve been doing?” Gothel, voicing yet another thought they shared, asked. 

“I’d really like to share what we’ve found! There’s so much information here I don’t know how long I could keep it secret!” Sugracha said with a smile. 

Zhan Tiri frowned. She had long since wished to let Demanitus in to their get-togethers, knowing he’d be ecstatic to see the moonstone in person. The realization that it was her of all people still worried her, the specific feeling of worry that she had never experienced before, she found herself genuinely afraid he’d hate her. 

“Soon. Very soon.” She said finally.

* * *

When Demanitus returned, he found them huddled together, all quietly discussing something he couldn’t quite make out. They shot up at the sound of him walking down the steps and separated, all jumping back to their work as if he were about to lecture them on goofing off. He chuckled and rolled his eyes, setting down the food he’d bought and calling them over to him. 

Their meal went similarly to how it always went, loud and rambunctious, either him or Elizabeth getting onto the disciples for their poor manners, the two of them eating very little and staying quiet. Despite the disciples’ previous excitement over another study session, they found themselves falling into a small food coma after a mere hour. Demanitus shook his head and dragged them all to their rooms, waving goodbye to Elizabeth when she left to sleep as well. He started to tidy the place up, when his eyes fell on one of the disciples’ desks, pages of notes scattered across it.

“I’m going to have to sit these kids down and have a long talk about a clutter free workspace.” Demanitus muttered to himself and started putting the papers into a neat pile. A sketch caught his eye, one of a vine covered in roses. He picked it up and looked at the description. 

_A new rock has been discovered! None of us are quite sure what it is or what’s caused it. We tried asking Zhan Tiri what emotion was its source, yet she found herself just as lost as we were. We’ll have to do further research on the subject._

He dropped the paper and whipped his head around to the room in which Elizabeth slept, trying to rationalize what he had read. Was her involvement with Zhan Tiri different from what she had said? Could she be leading his disciples into a trap? He shook his head, stopping himself from jumping to conclusions, or perhaps he simply did not want to believe it. Either way, he had decided to keep a closer eye on them.

* * *

“It’s been more than a day.” Gothel said once Demanitus had left the room. He said he would be retiring early, they assumed he’d hit another rock in his research. “We should go out tonight.” 

Zhan Tiri frowned. Demanitus had been rather distant since the day before, avoiding her as well as the other three. It concerned her, perhaps he might be suspecting something. But, she looked at the disciples pleading eyes and found her concerns getting shoved down into the back of her mind. “We should.” 

They waited another hour just to be sure he was asleep before they snuck out, each disciple gripping their bag with excited intensity. Demanitus watched them leave and sighed. So they were hiding something.

He followed quietly, keeping more distance between them than what was really necessary, but he didn’t want to take any chances. After about twenty minutes, they stopped. The disciples sat down around her and waited for something, though he did not know what. His curiosity was soon satisfied when she ripped the skin off her face, revealing a familiar child underneath. 

He wanted to push past his place of hiding and grab the disciples before anything could happen, he wanted to fight the sorceress before she could hurt anyone else. But for now, she seemed to be non-hostile, and he wanted to keep them out of this as much as possible. It was clear they were growing attached to her, despite this, they all were. He sighed, and walked back, deciding to wait for them to return. 

“That was... _amazing!_ ” Gothel practically yelled, receiving several shushes in response, to which she apologized. “But, seriously, who knew how many kinds of rocks you can make, I mean--” 

They all stopped, frozen in fear at the sight of Demanitus, no longer asleep, arms crossed, a furious look on his face. 

“Now, Demanitus I know what it looks like but I can explain--” 

“Oh you will be, Elizabeth. Or should I even call you that?” 

“Shit, he knows--” Tromus muttered, rubbing his arm when Gothel elbowed it. 

“You. Out. Now. You three stay inside.” Demanitus grabbed the woman’s arm and pulled her outside, ignoring her words of protest. 

He stopped, gripping her arms with white shaking knuckles. 

“You lied to me.” 

“No I-- well, yes I did but you don’t understand I--” 

“I think I understand enough!” His voice boomed, making her mouth slam shut. “I know what you do. You kill scientists for their research and inventions, and hoard them all to yourself in that godforsaken spire! I will _not_ let you lay a single hand on one of my children!” 

“Demanitus I would never hurt them, I only wanted to help you--” 

“ _I think you’ve helped enough!_ ” 

She jumped back, acting on pure instinct. Something raged deep inside her, a forgotten memory long since shoved down where she could not see it, the forceful grip only adding to her terrified rage. She threw her hand forward, a large red spike launching itself in his direction, slashing across the man’s eye. 

“Demanitus!” She raced forward, stretching out her hands to catch him when he fell to his knees, one hand covering his eye, blood dripping down in between his fingers. “Demanitus I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to--” 

“ _Get out!_ ” He yelled, using his free hand to shove her away. “Leave if you know what’s good for you.” 

“Demanitus, please just let me help you--” 

“ _I’d rather **die** than accept help from the likes of you._” 

She stopped, lifting her hands and stood up. “Fine.” She said shakily. “Then perish.” 

She walked off, just as the three disciples burst through the door, all yelling at her to come back. 

“What do we do?!” Tromus exclaimed, twisting his head violently back and forth between Demanitus and where Zhan Tiri ran. 

Gothel paused for a second. “Sugracha, go inside and use what we have to help Demanitus. Tromus and I will… go into town to get more supplies.” 

Sugracha nodded and helped Demanitus inside while Gothel pulled Tromus into the woods. 

“Wait, this isn’t the way to town?--”

“I know that, idiot. We’re not _going_ to town.” 

“Then where are we?-- ohhhh.” 

“Wow you really are a dunce.” She muttered to herself, still yanking him through the woods. 

They skidded to a stop, Tromus almost falling over at the suddenness of it, and looked down to see Zhan Tiri. She was standing still, looking up at the Spire as though she were contemplating something. She jumped when Gothel tapped her shoulder.

Zhan Tiri looked up at them, falling back into her contemplation before she spoke again. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt him.” She said finally, a slight crack in her voice, though unwavering for the most part. 

“We know.” Gothel kept her grip on Tromus’s arm, much to his dismay. “We...we have Sugracha looking after Demanitus. Do you think you could convince him you don’t want to hurt us?” 

“Hmph, after what he said to me I don’t know if that would be a true statement.” Zhan Tiri stopped, seeing their shocked faces. “I didn’t intend to hurt him, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” 

Gothel’s mouth formed a thin line. “So...what should we do?” 

“You could come with me. There’s still so much I have left to show you, and there’s so many artifacts at the Spire, you could really learn a lot.” She started to smile.

“What about Demanitus?” Tromus asked nervously.

“He’s a fool. He’s been given the chance of a lifetime and he threw it away.” Her smile faded, turning to more of a scowl. “He’s made his choice, but you still have yours. What have you left to learn from him from pieces of parchment and the passing letter? With the moonstone at our disposal, I could show you so much more than that. And with it, we could track down the sundrop, and finally reunite the two artifacts.” 

“Reunite them?” They said slowly.

“Yes, that is their destiny. It’s my destiny. And I intend to see it through, no matter the cost.” Zhan Tiri sighed. “So what will it be?” 

They looked at eachother, having a silent conversation before Gothel spoke up. “We’ll get Sugracha and be back in less than an hour.” 

Tromus found himself getting tugged along yet again as they made their way back through the woods. When they reached their hut, Gothel pulled him through slowly, making sure not to make a sound. She peaked down to the bottom of the steps. Demanitus was asleep, passed out due to bloodloss most likely, so they could walk down without worrying about getting caught. 

“So? What’s the plan?” Sugracha asked, not looking up to them, her eyes focused on Demanitus. 

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Tromus looked at him as well, eyeing the bandages wrapped around him. 

“Yes. The eye may be out of commission, but he’ll survive.” 

Gothel smiled. “Good. Come with us.” 

“Wha-- where are we going?” 

“The Spire.” 

“Zhan Tiri’s going to work things out?” She started to smile. 

Gothel rubbed the back of her neck and looked to the ground. “Er...not exactly.” 

Sugracha frowned. “So… are we leaving him?” 

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” 

Tromus looked between the two of them, before stopping at Sugracha. “But we want you to come with us.” 

Sugracha glanced down to Demanitus and furrowed her brows, then met their eyes. “I’ll go.”

* * *

“Ah, I was starting to get worried.” Zhan Tiri said with a smile, glad all three of them were present. “Are you ready for the journey up, it’s a long one.” 

They looked nervously up at the mountain, a coiling spire sitting at the top. 

“I think I might have an easier way for us to get up.” Sugracha spoke up, then led them to the base of the mountain. She shut her eyes and put her hands on one of the trees, muttering an ancient language under her breath. They were green, when she opened them again, one of the branches leaning down to meet them. 

“Get on.” She said with a distorted voice, stepping onto the branch herself. The tree started to grow, shooting up miles and miles into the air and getting them to the top within minutes. Once they were there, the glow in her eyes faded, she almost fell over. 

“You didn’t have to exert yourself like that, you know.” Gothel frowned.

Sugracha shrugged. “Better me than all of us.” 

Zhan Tiri pulled them along before Gothel could retort, taking a key from a pouch on her belt and opening the door. They stared in amazement at the hundreds of artifacts littering its walls, all in their own glass-sealed niches. 

“It’s...beautiful.” Tromus breathed out.

“Ha, better than that dusty old lab.” Zhan Tiri muttered. She snapped her fingers and lit the lights along the walls, then turned around to show it all off. “Welcome to my home, children!”

* * *

When Demanitus awoke, he was surprised to see no one there. Gothel and Tromus should have been back, at the very least Sugracha should have been there, she seemed so worried when he’d started to drift off to sleep. Learning his lesson from before, no longer stopping himself from putting off his conclusions and instinct, he proposed Zhan Tiri had come back for them. She had taken them, and he was going to take them back.

“Where are you…” Demanitus muttered, pushing past his research, trying to find a particular scroll. He let out a triumphant cry when he found what he was looking for, a spell he’d been working on for weeks, a spell that had kept him awake far too many nights to count. A spell that would permanently transform a being into whatever he wished.

“I won’t let you hurt anyone ever again.” He said with quiet fury, rolling up the scroll and putting it in a bag.

* * *

The journey up to the Spire is long and treacherous. It’s morning, when he arrives, he’s hardly able to move, but that doesn’t deter him. He slammed the door open once he’d reached its entrance, startling its residents. 

“ _What have you done with them?_ ” 

Zhan Tiri glanced nervously between him and the disciples before groaning. “You didn’t tell him you were leaving, did you?” 

“Leaving?-- You _left?_ ” He glared at them, anger only rising the more that was said. 

Sugracha was the first to speak up. “Look, Demanitus, she really does want to help us--”

“She wants to kill you! She wants to kill us all!” Demanitus’s voice echoed throughout the room, startling them all to silence. “And you’re letting yourselves fall into her trap!” 

Zhan Tiri quickly found her resolve at that comment, balling her hands into fists and looking up at him with a matching rage. “I would never wish harm to befall them.” 

“You lied to us, you tricked us. Why else would you do that if not to kill us?” 

“I tricked you. I truly did want to help, but you gave me no choice but to assume a different identity. I was going to tell you the truth, but you had to just go and ruin it!” 

“I don’t believe that for a second! You’ve done nothing but hurt and kill since the day you found you were able.” Demanitus let out a shaky sigh. “And I’m going to make sure you never get that chance again.” 

“What are you?--” 

Demanitus took the scroll from his bag and began to read it, eyes rolling up and starting to glow, a soft, warm, yellow, contrasting in energy from the booming rage in his voice as he spoke. Zhan Tiri felt pain, pain the likes of which she’d never felt before. Every part of her turning cold, stone flooding across her skin and shattering in on itself. She tried to scream, let out some sort of vocalization of her pain, but was unable. She could barely hear the last few words of the spell before everything faded to black. 

“What have you done?” Gothel said quietly. “WHAT HAVE YOU _DONE?!_ ” 

They all stared holes through the stone on the floor, a small, glowing, pulsing opal, rolling to his feet. He picked it up and put it in his bag.

“Let’s go.” Gothel took Tromus and Sugracha by the hand and started to pull them away. 

Demanitus held up a hand. “Wait--” 

“We’re _leaving._ ” She spoke through her shaking voice. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.” 

The three ran out, silently glad he made no effort in stopping them, and left him alone with his thoughts. He took the opal out from his bag, twisting it around in his hand.

“I’m so sorry, old friend.” 

A black spike shot up beside him.

* * *

Demanitus would spend the rest of his life keeping the moonstone from the outside world. At first, he kept it in the Spire, in a locked chest at the very bottom floor. It started to act out, sending waves of various rocks around it, threatening to destroy everything and everyone that would dare come close. He found it too dangerous to keep there, instead establishing a former partner to watch over the building in his absence, to do what he pleases with it, while he found a safer place to keep the moonstone safe. 

He travelled far from Corona, far from anyone, to the other side of an endless canyon. A small group of people had made their home there, and when he explained what he came to do, in an effort to get them to leave, they chose instead to join him. They swore themselves to keep the moonstone isolated, to carry on his legacy. It was here, he would stay, here he would live out the remainder of his life, and here, he would die, a black spike shooting through his stomach just seconds before he was to die in his sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demanitus, strumming a chord on his out of tune guitar: Karen give me back the fucking kids.


	12. Chapter 12

“Whatcha doin’?” Angry asked as she draped herself over Varian’s back, his face buried in blueprints. 

“I’m working on a way to destroy the rocks, the same thing I’ve been doing for the past eight months, and the same thing I’ve been doing for the past _several hours you’ve bothered me._ ” Varian groaned and let his face fall onto his desk when a second body flopped on top of him.

“Can you stop working?” Catalina whined, flipping over to lay on her stomach. “We’re so bored!” 

“Go be bored with Lance! I’m busy!” Varian pushed himself off, effectively knocking them off of him before they latched on yet again.

“But Lance is off doing Captain stuff! The other guards won’t let us near him!” Angry practically yelled into his ear, receiving another shove to her side as he tried in vain to get them to leave. 

“Yeah! And even if we could sneak past them, which we can and _have,_ he’s too busy flirting with Caine to play with us!” Red plopped her head on his desk, sprawling her arms over the blueprints and blocking any view he had of it. 

“Sounds like a you problem. And, I don’t know if you haven’t realized, considering I’ve only mentioned it _twelve times in the past hour,_ but, I’m _busy!_ ” 

Instead of jumping at his sudden yell, they groaned. Catalina got up, slumping against the wall and fiddling with the locket around her neck. Angry leaned over to see his notes, looking at the pictures more than the words.

“Is that a _gun?_ ” 

“Bazooka, actually.” Varian snorted. “You know what they say, When a useful item reminds you of past trauma, turn it into a gun and shoot your problems in the face.” 

“Literally no one has ever said that.” Angry groaned, but found her interest growing nonetheless. “So, how long till the test run?” 

“Well,” Varian wrote a quick note and slammed his quill on the desk. “I just finished the plans, and since I need the supervision of the Captain to build and test military-grade weapons, I’m in the same boat as you.” 

“So does that mean you’ll take a break and cure us of our boredom?” Angry fell slowly onto the floor, looking up at him with a slight pout. 

“Ew. No.” Varian smiled. “Although I do know a way we can get his attention.”

* * *

“So...not that I’m complaining or anything, but why exactly are we in Lance’s office?” Angry poked her head out the door, just to make sure no one saw them before following Varian inside. 

“Have I introduced you to my favorite invention?” Varian took a handful of sparkling dust from his pocket and blew it on Catalina. “Glitter. That’s not coming off for a month.” 

“Wha-- Hey no fair!” Catalina tried desperately to dust it off of her, but found it only floated back onto the fur of her jacket. 

“And what exactly do you plan on doing with this? Cover the place or set a trap?” Angry raised an eyebrow, a smile creeping on her face. 

“Both.” 

“He’ll be back in a few minutes, will we even have time for that?” 

Varian laughed maniacally. “You doubt my power. Now,” He took some rope from his bag and handed it to them. “Help me set this up?” 

The two nodded and took the rope, he grabbed a sparkling glass ball and put it in their contraption, wrapping the rope and setting the trap. He pushed them out of the room and had them stand behind him, taking a separate, larger glass ball and throwing it before slamming the door shut. 

“Huh. Efficient.” Angry nodded, then jumped at the sound of footsteps.

“Go go go--” Varian whisper-shouted as he pushed the both of them around the corner. They peeked their heads around to see Lance and Caine walking toward the door. Their eyes went wide at the sight of her, though they relaxed when she started backing away, recognizing the set trap.

“So anyways this guy runs into me and he’s like ‘Captain, sir I need your help!’ which, I get that all the time you’re going to have to be more specific--” Lance opened the door, and was met with a face full of glitter. “What the?--” 

Loud, cackling laughter sounded from down the hall, Varian Angry and Catalina all whipping behind the corner to avoid being caught. Caine caught up to them rather quickly, grabbing the three of them by their shirt collars and dragging them back to his office. 

“Alright. Own up.” Caine squinted at the glitter-covered room. “Lance, you deal with this. I can’t stand to look at that.” 

Lance started to protest, reaching to grab her arm before she could walk away, but was unable to see where she was, unable to see at all, glitter sticking to every inch of his face. 

“Alright. Ok. Wherever you three are, you’re dead.” Lance said, one hand rubbing his eyes and the other pointing in the wrong direction. Varian snickered and took his hand, moving it to where the three of them stood. “You’re cleaning this up.” 

“Nooo that’s going to take forever.” Angry whined, slumping against Varian. 

“You signed up for that when you made this-- oh dear god.” Lance, now able to open his eyes, looked at the state of his office. Bright pink glitter on every surface, stuck to the walls and floor in the pattern resembling an explosion. 

“ _Woah!_ ” Catalina started to run into the room, cut off by Lance’s arm. “That’s so cool!” 

“Yeah, you know what’s even cooler? Cleaning it up.” 

“Aye aye captain!” Varian saluted with a smile.

“Wait what I thought you were on our _side--_ ” Angry started to say, but was cut off by him throwing a blue ball into the room, sucking up the glitter from both Lance and the room. 

“You couldn’t have used that on _me?_ ” Catalina frowned, trying to pat the glitter off her jacket. 

Varian shrugged. “I only had one.” 

“Damn, now I need to actually come up with a punishment.” 

Angry and Catalina started to protest, but quieted down when Varian raised his hand. He let out a relieved sigh and smiled. “Or, you could let us go with a quick half-a-minute lecture?” 

Lance raised an eyebrow. “And _why_ would I do that?” 

“Well I suppose you’d have no reason to, unless, of course, I had something you wanted.” 

“...I’m listening.”

Varian’s smile grew wider. “Caine’s real name.” 

Lance took in a deep breath. “I cannot believe you made a complete mess of my office for the sake of a quick one note joke and if it weren’t for that stupid bag of tricks you’d be in there for the next three days cleaning it up-- ok let’s go.” 

Varian held out a hand for the two to high five while Lance wheezed. They returned it, the sly smiles on their faces matching his, quiet snickering barely able to be heard by anyone but the four of them.

* * *

“The plan is simple. You take this bottle-- don’t drink it-- offer some to Caine while doing that weird semi-work appropriate if you’re half deaf flirting thing, and wait for her to have some of it.” Varian handed him a bottle of wine and two glasses and continued to explain. “We’ll come out, revealing our sinister plans in the most extra way possible for showmanship reasons, and ask her for her name.” 

“An entire plan banking on my amazing flirting skills? Wow kid, way to play to the team’s strengths.” 

“Oh, yes, of course. I’ll try not to vomit at your horrendous attempts at romance.” 

The two girls snickered. Catalina whispered something in her ear, Angry snorted and spoke up. 

“So! After we get her name, can we ask her _other_ super embarrassing questions?” 

“You’ll have an hour to do as you please. Though, do try not to piss her of that much. This will make her honest, not a pacifist.” 

Catalina broke from her quiet laughter, head perking up at a sound none of them could hear. “She’s here.” 

“Alright you three go go go-- Heyyyy Caine!” Lance shoved them a bit too hard as he whipped around at the tap on his shoulder, almost dropping the glass in his hands. 

“What was that about?” 

“Oh they were just weaseling their way out of work. Took the bribe,” Lance raised his hands slightly, showing off the bottle. “And sent them back to work.” 

Caine snorted. “And whatever do you plan on doing with that?” 

“I was thinking we could take a little break.” Lance set the two glasses across from each other on a nearby table and popped the cork, filling each glass till they were half full. 

“Well, who am I to refuse not working?” Caine chuckled and sat down, lifting her glass in response to him doing the same, and clinking them together. “Before I drink, they didn’t poison this?” 

“Nah. Not with the lecture they got for the last prank.” Lance brought the glass to his lips, lifting it enough to where the wine touched, but did not drink. 

“Aw don’t be so hard on em.” Caine tooka long sip from her glass and set it down. “They’re just being dumb kids, so long as they clean up after themselves I see no problem in letting them have some harmless fun.” 

“Speaking of harmless fun…” Varian cackled, walking in with both hands behind his back. 

Angry popped up behind him, copying his posture. “We have a few questions to ask you.”

“And be sure to answer honestly.” Catalina popped up behind as well, fangs poking out as she grinned. 

“Oh god…” Caine groaned and chugged the rest of the drink. 

Lance’s eyes went wide. “What are you--” 

“Don’t even start.” Caine dragged her hand across her face and looked at the three of them. “So. What exactly do you want from us?” 

Varian smiled. “Just you, actually. Lance is with us now.” 

Caine clicked her tongue. “Weak.” 

Lance rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, they offered me something I couldn’t refuse.” 

Caine raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?” 

“Your name.” Varian tilted his head, narrowing his eyes and maintaining his sinister grin. “I don’t believe Caine is written on your birth certificate. Mind telling us what your real name is?” 

Caine furrowed her brows, slamming her mouth shut and trying her damndest to keep it there. She seemed to be fighting it rather furiously, only intriguing them more as to what her big secret is. 

After a minute, she sighed and spoke in a mumble. “Millie...Birdsley.” 

“Hmm? What was that. Couldn’t quite hear you.” Catalina asked, her grin growing wider than what they thought possible. 

“My name is Millie Birdsley!” 

There was silence, for a moment. Shock, contemplation, followed by howling laughter. Caine groaned and slumped onto the table, lifting her head to rest her chin on the wood when Lance patted her on the back. 

“If it makes you feel any better, my name is Arnwaldo Schnitz.” 

Caine snorted. “How do you think the kids’ll react to that?” 

Lance hummed. “Oh they’ll hate it. I think I’m gonna wait till after I adopt them.” 

“Ha, you have to let me see the reveal. Welcome to the Schnitz family kiddos!” Caine broke into a high pitched voice. “The _what_ family? I did _not_ sign up for this!” 

“Sign up for what?” Angry popped up behind them, the three’s laughing having quieted down during their conversation.

“Nothing!” They said in unison, earning confused glances from them. 

Caine snickered and stood up. “So. I do believe I need to give the proper response.” 

“What? No!” Angry crossed her arms and frowned, similar protests being given by the others. 

Caine lifted the bottle and swung it gently side to side. “I mean, is it really a punishment if I’m letting you drink? Who knows.”

Lance took the bottle swiftly and held it up above her reach. “Hey hey hey no underage drinking!” 

“Don’t be lame. I’m just giving them a taste of their own medicine. Very bad tasting medicine.” Caine gagged. “Truth serum is genuinely disgusting, information I never thought I’d acquire.” 

“Not surprising.” Lance shrugged. “You guys shouldn’t have done that though. Giving people truth serum without their knowledge is wrong.” 

Varian rolled his eyes. “Great lecture, very informative. Though it would have been more useful _before_ you agreed to help us.” 

“What I’m hearing is, I have full permission to make all of you suffer.” Caine smiled. “Minus Goggles of course.” 

“But he started it!” The three said in unison, pointing at him aggressively.

“Kid’s suffered enough, he gets a free pass.” 

Varian pumped his fist in the air. “ _Yes!_ Thank you trauma!” 

“You’re the _worst!_ ” Angry yelled, punching him in the arm. 

“Thanks, I try. Of course I doubt this is really a problem, since I have the antidote right here.” Varian took out a small vial from his bag and held it up for them to see. Caine swiped at it immediately, but he moved it out of the way before she could get it. “You can have it, _if,_ you let them off the hook.” 

“Fine.” Caine took the vial and chugged it, choking and gagging once she had finished. “How did you manage to make something taste so _bad?_ ” 

“Determination and spite. So, now that I have your attention, we can talk about the very important project requiring the Captain’s supervision. One that I’ve been asking him about for almost a week with no response.” 

Lance laughed awkwardly. “Ohhh right. It um...slipped my mind?” 

“Ah, of course it did.” 

“Since when did any of your projects require the Captain’s supervision?” Caine managed to stop choking, looking at him with slight confusion on her face.

“Since the entire noble population in this castle decided they needed to keep me in check. Which, if I have to wait for approval on everything I make that’s only going to inconvenience them.” 

Angry slumped against him. “So we all have to sit around and watch you work all day?” 

“Well, I could always have you help me. And I _do_ need to test it…”

“Does that mean we can shoot stuff?” Catalina glanced at him and Lance, a wide expectant grin on her face. 

“If it’s ok with them.” 

The two girls looked at Lance and Caine with wide pleading eyes, hands held together. They caved after a few seconds, both groaning and dragging a hand down their face. 

“ _Yes!_ ” The three said in unison, and spent no time racing back to Varian’s lab.

* * *

“I don’t get it. How do you need a Captain looking over your shoulder while you weld metal together and ramble about lame nerd stuff.” Angry watched as Varian took out a blowtorch, pushing her back lightly and pulling down a mask over his face. 

Varian welded a piece together and lifted his mask. “Hey, I don’t get it either. This is just to get the noble’s off my back.”

“Usually I just sit here in the back and read while he works. Or lie and say I was there.” Lance stood up from where he had leaned against a wall and walked toward them. “Though you’re never this pushy about it. What’s up with that?” 

“Oh, well, um, this is just really important. You know, dealing with the rocks and junk.” Varian rubbed the back of his neck and laughed before slamming his mask back down and returning to his work. 

The four shrugged it off and continued to entertain themselves, Caine showing the two girls various knife tricks despite Lance’s many protests. Varian slammed a wrench on the desk when he’d finished, startling them and making Angry drop the knife in her hand, which Caine and Lance fumbled over each other to retrieve. 

“Ha! Now I just have to put in the fuel source and we’re good to go.” Varian faltered in his moment of relief at the finished product, glancing over at the familiar yellow glow under his desk. “I’m testing it over near Monty's old shop, you guys go ahead, I’ll finish setting this up and meet you there.” 

Caine gave a quick salute and pulled Angry and Catalina out of the room. She looked over at Lance, waiting for him to follow, but he waved her off instead, eyeing the kid and mouthing silently his concerns. She nodded and left. 

“Do you need any help with that?” Lance asked, startling Varian and almost making him drop the vial in his hands. 

“No!” Varian responded a little too loud and a little too fast. “No,” He said again, more quietly. “I’ve got it.”

Lance watched as the boy’s shaking hands went over the fuel container on the weapon, how panicked he was over a seemingly simple task. Lance slowly put his hands over Varian's and pushed the vial down until it was set on his desk.

“It’s the amber, isn’t it?” Varian didn’t meet his eyes, stuttering out a response. “Kid if you want help you can just ask for it.” 

“I’m fine, really. I…I need to be able to do this.” Varian reached for the vial again, but Lance managed to swipe it before he could get it.

“It’s ok to need help sometimes. No one’s going to think less of you for it.” 

“You’re not always going to be there, Lance.”

“Maybe not, but someone will be.” Lance set the vial down again, just out of his line of view, and put his hands on Varian’s shoulders. “You don’t always have to do things on your own. I’ll put down whatever it is I’m doing and help you with this, you don’t have to disguise it as something else.” 

“Sorry about your um...office.”

“No harm done, so it’s fine. Now,” Lance picked up the vial and held it over the weapon. “Where do I pour this?”

“Lance, really, you don’t have to--”

“Nope! Either you tell me where it goes or I pick a spot and hope it works.” 

“I-- fine.” Varian pointed to a glass container bolted on the side. “There.” 

Lance smiled and started to pour, not commenting on the way Varian whipped his head to the side to avoid seeing the substance. 

“Oh and, Lance?” 

“Hm?”

“Thank you.” 

Lance’s smile grew wider. “No problem, kid.” He set the vial and down and picked up the weapon. “Why don’t we go test this baby out?”

* * *

“Hey! Took you guys long enough.” Angry waved them over, Catalina and Caine both leaning against one of the nearby. “Let’s shoot some rocks!”

“Ha, I have to test it first before you can use it.” 

“Well then _you_ shoot some rocks so _I_ can shoot some rocks.” 

Varian rolled his eyes and readied the weapon, aiming it for a particularly large spike in front of the shop’s entrance. He sucked in a breath, and pulled the trigger.

“Holy _shit!_ ” Angry yelled, looking at the shattered spike in front of them. Caine elbowed her in the stomach, making some comment about language, which she ignored.

“That’s so cool! You _have_ to let us try it.” Catalina pushed past Angry in an attempt to grab the weapon.

“Hey, hey! You can take turns!” Varian moved the weapon out of the way, lifting it high enough neither of them could reach. “Just do rock paper scissors or something!”

“Fine!” They spoke in unison, quickly playing a round. Catalina won, much to Angry’s protests, and stepped forward. 

Varian let out a sigh of relief now that their quarrel was put to an end, and handed the weapon to Catalina. 

“Woah! It’s a lot heavier than it looks.” Catalina said with a huff, struggling to keep it in her grip.

“Well it _is_ made of solid metal.” He stood behind her and held up the weapon, pulling some weight off of it. “I’ll help you hold it, just so you don’t shoot your own feet.” 

Catalina laughed awkwardly, hands shaking slightly and her face a shade of bright red. “So! How-- how does it work?”

“Ah, so _that’s_ why her nickname is Red.” Caine muttered, getting a laugh from Lance and a gag from Angry. 

“It’s pretty simple, actually. You see that trigger right there?” He pointed to a small trigger near the glass container of fuel. Catalina nodded aggressively. “Aim for that rock, and pull the trigger."

Catalia shut her eyes, only opening at the sound of something shattering. She smiled wide. “I did it!” 

“You did great Catalina!” Varian slowly took the weapon from her and held it in one arm, using his other to give her a high five. 

“Yeah she did amazing, now let me have a turn!” Angry pushed past her, making grabbing motions for the weapon.

“Woah, ok, be careful!” He carefully set it in Angry’s arms, making sure she didn’t drop it under the weight. “Just, um, don’t break it.”

“Not a problem.” Angry laughed maniacally as she aimed for a large spike in front of the cobbler’s shop, sending a series of shots in its direction. Varian rolled his eyes and walked over to Lance and Caine, occasionally glancing at the girls to make sure they didn’t spark another argument.

“So, if that thing’s unbelievably heavy, how come you can lift it with one arm?” Caine asked, watching the girls struggle to point it up at a spike on the roof.

“Because I’m ripped. Shredded. Super buff.” Varian jokingly flexed one arm and laughed. “Got an eight pack under here, but don’t tell anyone.” 

“There is no possible way you are anything but meat and bones under that baggy shirt of yours.” Lance poked his vest, to which Varian swatted at his hand. “You’ve been eating right?”

“Yes, Lance, I’ve eaten.” Varian groaned, swatting away his hand again the more he poked. 

“Are you sure? I know how you can be when you get sucked into an idea.” Lance frowned and crossed his arms. “We’re getting food once we’re done here.”

Varian groaned. “Dad, really, I’m fine--”

“Did you just--”

“No! No you heard wrong! I-- I meant--”

“He totally called you dad.” Caine smirked, ruffling his hair. “Tough guy’s got a soft spot for the Captain. How adorable.” 

“Hey! I am _not_ adorable!” 

“He’s like a small puppy!” Angry yelled from across the street. 

Lance laughed and sighed, putting a hand on Varian’s shoulder. “It’s quite alright, son, would you like to play a game of catch instead?”

“I hate all of you.” Varian paused. “Except for Catalina, she doesn’t bully me.” 

“Join us, Catalina. Bully the child.” Caine cackled.

“One of us. One of us.” Angry started chanting, Lance and Caine joining in.

She frowned. “No! That’s mean!” 

“See? At least someone here appreciates me.” Varian walked over to Catalina, who was currently holding the weapon. “She is the only thing good in this cruel, cruel world.”

Catalina’s face turned redder than her hair, she fumbled with the weapon, almost dropping it, and muttering incoherent gibberish. 

“I think you broke my sister.” 

“Wha?-- No! Catalina!” Varian started shaking her gently. “Don’t die, that’s my thing!” 

“How about we test this out some more tomorrow.” Lance spoke through snickers, taking the weapon before Catalina could drop it.

“But I need to make sure the range and strength is good enough to--” Varian stopped, the look on Lance’s face enough to silence his protests. “Yup, let’s go.” 

“What’s your plan with them anyway?” Lance asked, Caine walking ahead of them with Angry and Catalina.

“Oh, well, if I make more of these, we can give them out to the guards and rid this kingdom of the rocks. If I work fast enough, I bet we could get them out and start on repairs by the end of the month!” 

“Really? That’s great!” Lance crossed his arms. “Be sure to take a break every now and then.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be sure to sleep and eat and all that lame stuff.” 

“Do you think we could use these to combat Zhan Tiri?”

“It’s a strong possibility!” Varian sighed. “I, um, haven’t really been much help with that, so it would be nice to contribute something worthwhile against her.” 

“What? You’re kidding, right?” He waited a moment before talking again. “Kid, without you translating that sun incantation we’d be in a _world_ of hurt right now.” 

“And without me translating the moon incantation we wouldn’t have _needed_ the sun incantation.” 

“Oi, you’re doing it again.” 

“Doing what?”

“That thing where you blame yourself for something that was out of your control.”

“What? I don’t do that.” Lance raised an eyebrow. “Shut up.” 

“Nope! If I don’t bully you constantly, who’s going to stop your bad habits?”

“Right.” 

Lance sighed. “What am I going to do with you?” 

Varian shrugged. “Hell if I know.” 

He ran to join with the others, leaving Lance in the back. He shook his head and smiled. “I hate these stupid kids.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. _Listen_. I just. I _adore_ the Schnitz family. I love them so much


	13. Chapter 13

Cassandra awoke with a start. What time was it? What _day_ was it? Of course, there was no way for her to tell, unless she looked out to the sky and guessed, but the fact that she no longer knew frightened her. Her head hurt-- no, scratch that, her head was _pounding_. It felt as though the rocks in her tower started slamming themselves against her skull. She knew this feeling, recognized what it meant, and sighed. 

Faint voices could be heard down the hall, the excited shouts only further proving her fears and suspicions. She got up, ignoring how shaky her legs were, and walked toward the source of the noise. 

“I can’t believe how much I’ve _missed_ this over the last thousand years!” Zhan Tiri cackled, her small legs swinging on her chair. 

Sugracha chuckled. “It really makes me feel like we’re kids again. Sneaking around while Demanitus is asleep, shooting up rocks as we please.” 

“Ah, except now the wet blanket is that stupid girl.” Trumus rolled his eyes and glared out the door, not noticing the small figure that whipped their head around to avoid being caught.

“Please tell me we’re getting rid of her.” Gothel groaned, dragging her hand down her face. “I’m not doing this ‘moral dilemma’ thing again.”

“Ha, I plan on it. I just need to find a way to take back the stone…”

Gothel sighed. “There’s always something.” 

“I wish I could just possess her all the time.” Zhan Tiri slumped her head on the table for a moment, then sat up. “We’ll only have to deal with her for a little while longer. After that, Corona falls.” 

Smiles grew on each of their faces, sly sinister grins over unspoken plans and schemes, each indulging in their own need to gloat.

“Patience, my children. All good things come to those...who wait.” 

Whatever conversation they had after that, Cassandra didn’t hear, every word turning to a single fuzzy ringing noise in her ears. Before...before there was some hope she could keep Zhan Tiri at bay. The disciples made it harder, the possession left little room for error but it was _something._ Now, now it didn’t matter what fear she had harbored for the demon, it didn’t matter what the consequences may be. She had to get the moonstone away before she could use it, and more importantly, she had to warn Rapunzel.

Cassandra walked quietly down to the entrance of the fortress, yanking the cloak from its hook on the wall and racing out before anyone would comment on her disappearance. She knew they’d go looking for her the second they saw she was missing, and they would know she was someone else. She just hoped she had enough time to get a new identity before they found her. 

She ran and ran for what felt like hours before slumping against a tree and taking a moment to breathe. 

“Useless! Absolutely _useless!_ ” 

Cassandra glanced over to the conversation happening nearby. Old Lady Crowley, lecturing Faith for what she was sure was the fiftieth time that month. 

“You’re supposed to be collecting flowers, Faith! Flowers!” Crowley yanked the collection of weeds from Faith’s hands and threw them on the ground. “Do you even know what flowers are? Because these look like _sadness_ on _stems!_ ”

Crowley stomped off, muttering to herself, leaving Faith alone. The girl slammed her head on a tree and slid down to the ground, pulling her knees to her head and crying.

“I can’t do this anymore…” 

Cassandra frowned. She’d been the one to comfort Faith after an especially bad lecture more times than she could count, but she couldn’t exactly do that now, at least not like this. Her eyes fell on the cloak. She smiled. 

“That old lady’s really something, huh?” 

Faith shot up and looked at the source of the voice. “Who...who are you?”

“Oh, just a traveller.” Cassandra shrugged, trying to hide her gags at how nasally her voice sounded. “My name’s Calliope. Mind if I sit next to you?” 

She shook her head and scooted to the side, letting Cassandra sit down. 

“You know, you shouldn’t let that woman get to you.” 

“Everyone always says that.” Faith mumbled, letting her face fall back on her knees. “It’s not as easy for me as it is for them, especially when I keep messing up.” 

Cassandra slowly put her hand on the girl’s back, giving a few pats of comfort. This part was always difficult. “I don’t doubt that, it being hard, I mean. It really seems like she has it out for you.” 

“Ugh, I know! It’s not like I’m the worst handmaiden in the kingdom! I mean, at least I’m better than _Friedborg!_ ” Faith gasped. “Don’t tell her I said that.” 

“I have no idea who you’re talking about, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Cassandra laughed, her and Friedborg never really got along. “I’m sorry. That she’s like that. She’s just a perfectionist I suppose.” 

“Ha, that’s putting it lightly.” Faith sighed. “I don’t know if I can keep this up.” 

Cassandra hummed. “Tell you what. I’ll finish picking flowers for you, and take them to her. I’ll tell her you’re sick and that you’re taking the day off, you look like you could use a break.”

“You’d really do that? I-- I mean if it’s not any trouble.” 

“No, not at all! I was headed to Coro-- that way anyway!” 

Faith pulled her into a tight hug. “Oh, thank you Calliope!” 

Cassandra wheezed. “Ha, yeah, not a--” She sucked in another breath. “Problem!” 

Faith waved goodbye, muttering various things of excitement to herself as she ran off in another direction. Cassandra smiled softly, happy she could help at least one person after all this. 

“Now how does this cloak work…”

* * *

Cassandra, after picking what she thought to be a satisfactory number of flowers, walked over to a nearby pond to admire her handiwork. She certainly looked like Faith, enough time spent with the handmaidens and she could impersonate just about any of them from memory. She frowned. It felt wrong, taking over Faith’s life like this, even if it was just for the day. Maybe, when this was all over, she could come to Faith as herself and apologize. 

She huffed. “Who am I kidding...I think Rapunzel’s the only one willing to talk to me.” Her mind flashed back to their interaction in the tower, all the times they’d interacted when she wasn’t...her. “Or maybe she wouldn’t be.” 

She silently celebrated the fact that her voice was different. Any part of her that could be recognized as herself would risk Zhan Tiri finding her, or being discovered by Corona, neither seemed like pleasant options. 

“Alright Cassandra, you’ve got this.” She muttered to herself as she made her way across the bridge to the capital. “You just have to find the princess.”

It looked different from before, in a good way, surprisingly. There were a lot fewer rocks than when she had made her way there six months ago, only the occasional spike, or the shattered remains of one. She smiled, glad that the destruction wasn’t permanent. 

“Faith! Faith, hey!” A voice called to her, tugging on her dress.

“Oh, um, hi!” She answered awkwardly, trying to figure out who she was. Red hair, tied into two large pigtails, she looked similar to one of the girls Lance talked about. 

“Why are you headed to the castle? I thought you said you were swamped with work in the woods?” Catalina asked, no longer pulling on her skirt.

“Ha, well, I need to speak to the pr-- Queen. It’s important.” 

“Good luck with that. I’ve been trying to get her attention for _hours_ now, but she’s too busy to talk more than a passing hello.” She grumbled, crossing her arms.

“Oh.”

“If it’s important, you could try getting to her through a different person. Either Eugene or Varian would be your best bet, she’ll drop everything for those two.” 

Of course. The two people she’d wanted to avoid for the remainder of her days on this earth were the only two she could speak with. Oh fate, how cruel a mistress she is. 

“Varian’s testing out Project Obsidian near the bookstore. I don’t know where Eugene is, but he likes to wander around the castle square a lot, so you might run into him on your way there.” 

“Thank you,” Cassandra thought for a moment. “Catalina! You’ve been a big help.” 

“Good luck!” Catalina yelled and waved as she started walking toward the palace, then raced off in a different direction. 

She was silently hoping she’d run into Eugene before she made it to where Varian was. It’s not that she hated him, per say, no, after their last interaction she wouldn’t say that at all. It was simply...awkward. She probably couldn’t pull off a conversation with him.

Sure enough, he was there, carrying some sort of large gun. Lance was there too, and so was-- Caine? Since when was Caine with them? Cassandra shook her head, this was just how Rapunzel was, it was only a matter of time. If she was being honest, she was surprised it took so long. 

Varian stopped shooting, letting out a breathy laugh and high-fiving Lance and Caine. “I think we’ve tested them all out! Now we just distribute them to the guard and we’ll have this cleared out in a few weeks.” 

“Sweet. I’ll be glad to have someone else work on these damn things.” Caine groaned, letting the weapon fall slowly to the ground to release some of the weight.

“Caine. You’re a guard. You’re still going to be using these.” Lance deadpanned.

“Lance, Captain my captain, Arnwaldo my love, would you please spare me this suffering?” Caine set the weapon down completely and put her hand on his face.

“I might...consider it.” 

“Consider me testing this on live targets.” Varian lifted the weapon and aimed it in their direction.

Cassandra chuckled. She didn’t know how many times Varian would threaten someone with whatever he had on him. He never meant it, he always used as an end all be all instead of a genuine threat. 

“Didn’t take you for the spying type, Faith.” 

She yelped and whipped around. 

“Oh, um. Hello Fitzh-- your highness.” 

“Yo. So what exactly are you doing lurking around like this?” 

“I was just...curious what they were doing.” 

“Ah. They’re testing out one of Varian’s inventions, Project Obsidian. Besides Rapunzel’s hair, it’s the only thing that can destroy the black rocks.” 

“ _Destroy them?_ ” It explained the section of town cleared of rocks, sure, but she’d never thought someone could actually make something capable of destroying them. 

“Yeah, I know, pretty crazy right?” 

“Do you…” She stopped, wondering if she should even say what she was thinking. “Think it could help against...other threats?”

Eugene’s expression turned dark for a moment, contemplating his next words carefully, before it returned to its usual cheerful smile. “Yes. I know right now may seem kind of scary, Faith, and while we’ve been trying to maintain complete transparency and the public’s feeling of safety, I believe now we finally have something in the works that could put the people at ease.”

He seemed tired, as though he’d practiced this speech many times before, given it, many times before. This was starting to wear on him, though he’d never say it. 

“Of course, I have no doubts that this kingdom could take anything that’s thrown at it. I’ve been all around the world and I’ve never seen people as strong, courageous, and resilient as them.” Eugene looked down at her, smiling, genuine happiness and pride on his face. “I have faith that no matter what, they’ll stand up and fight back. So don’t worry, ok? You’ve got a whole kingdom here to keep you safe.” 

“That’s really cheesy.” Cassandra squinted her eyes, attempting to put on a face of judgement, though she couldn’t suppress the warm smile that formed instead.

Eugene laughed. “Well, cheesy is what I do.” 

They stayed in silence for a moment, Eugene clearly not used to having a conversation with her for more than a minute, and Cassandra building up the courage to ask him where the queen was. She didn’t know why she had to build up courage to do it, she never had a problem before. Everything felt different now.

“So, um, what exactly are you doing back in the capital this early?” 

Ah, there was her chance. “Oh! I’m-- I need to see the queen. It’s important.” 

“Oh, well, you know she’s _very_ busy right now with defense plans and rebuilding the capital, and--” Eugene watched as her face fell. “And if it really is important I’m sure I can find a way to get her attention.” 

She smiled. “Thanks.”

“No problem, I needed to check in with the High Council anyway. Let’s go!”

With that, he began to pull her along toward the castle. She gave a short cry of protest, a quiet one, as not to alert the three people she had been spying-- well, not spying-- actually no, there was no saving that. Damn Eugene actually being right. She huffed and continued to follow him. 

“What exactly is she up to?” Cassandra asked, to fill the silence more than anything. 

“Well, like I said she’s working on defense plans and rebuilding the capital, though I’m assuming you want me to get more specific.” She nodded. “She’s been working with both the High Council and Dispatch Council, attempting to get their approval on her plans for those things. Sadly, they’re all high society pricks by nature and refuse to go along with it if Varian is a part of the plan, let alone the plan itself.” 

“Why would they be against him helping? Those weapons seem pretty useful to me.” She knew the answer to this, she didn’t know why she was asking really.

“Because they still think he’s batshit crazy I guess.” Eugene shrugged. “We’ve got the people to convince too, that’s what I’m working on. It’s been hard keeping them in the loop. That kid works so damn fast we can barely keep up.” 

Cassandra laughed. She’d seen him work before, arms whipping around to grab tools and building whatever machine or substance he decided to make faster than what she thought a human was capable of. She swore she saw smoking coming off him once, the scene still haunts her. 

“Rapunzel should be in here.” Eugene said with a smile, opening the door. 

They were met with screaming, yelling and arguing all surrounding one person, Rapunzel, completely calm, listening to each shout. Eugene sighed and pushed past them, giving a quick kiss to Rapunzel, whispering something in her ear and glancing over to Faith. She waved, receiving on in return. Rapunzel tried to walk over to her, but found the councilmen arguing over her to get in her way. Cassandra tried to push past as well, though no one would give her so much as a passing glance to let her through. 

“Alright this is...riveting! But I really need to talk to-- I need to--” Rapunzel tried to cut in. 

Eugene had enough. “Everyone _**shut up!**_ ” 

Silence. They waited. 

“Ok. The queen has some very important business to attend to, so if all of you could let her leave that would be great.” 

“What could possibly be more important than discussing the safety of our _nation?!_ ” 

Cassandra waved. “Hi!” 

Rapunzel laughed quietly and walked past the councilmen, thanking Eugene and pulling Cassandra from the room. The arguing started again the second the door shut behind them, Eugene being the new recipient to their rage.

“Faith, I just thought you should know, even if whatever it is that you need me for, even if it doesn’t matter, I am... _so_ glad you pulled me out of there.” Rapunzel let out a breathy laugh. “I think Eugene is the only one that can handle those guys. I about strangled one of them one time.”

“Rapunzel--”

“You should’ve heard them though! They keep doing this weird passive-aggressive thing where I can’t call them out on their crap because it doesn’t _sound_ rude and I end up looking like I’m crazy even though they’re treating me like I’m an incompetent child!” 

“Rapunzel I--” 

“And that’s just the stuff they say about me! When they start on other people neither of us can stop ourselves from going to attack them. I wish you could have _seen_ the council meeting where we proposed Project Obsidian. We had to call the guards on _ourselves--_ ”

“ _Rapunzel!_ ”

“Yeah?”

Cassandra sighed. “We need to talk.” She glanced over to the maids around them. “ _Alone._ ” 

“Oh.” Her eyes fell on a room nearby, she pulled Cassandra inside and shut the door, watching as Cassandra swung the curtains closed. “What is this about Faith?”

“I’m...I’m not Faith. She’s ok! Don’t worry, I made sure she was ok before I did any of this. I-- I didn’t know how else I could get here.” Cassandra took off the cloak, revealing herself underneath it. “I came to warn you, Rapunzel.” 

“Cassandra? Is it really…” Rapunzel took her frying pan out slowly, judging her mannerisms, checking for someone lurking nearby, ready for anything. “Is she here?”

“No, no I made sure she didn’t follow me. Trust me, if she were here you would be the _first_ one to know Raps I-- I’m sorry.” 

She smiled. “It’s ok, Cass. We’re going to fix this. Try and hold her off just a bit longer, ok?”

“That’s just it, I _can’t_ hold her off anymore, that’s why I came. I’m giving the moonstone to you.” 

“What?”

“Well, I’m not _giving_ it to you, more putting it in your care so you can hide it somewhere. I just-- she’s trying to find a way to take it, Rapunzel. Soon she won’t even need me to use it’s power.” Cassandra gripped Rapuzel’s arms, tears welling up in her eyes. "Rapunzel, she wants to _destroy_ Corona.” 

“We won’t let that happen.” Rapunzel looked at her with a fiery intensity, one she’d seen many times before, one she relaxed at the sight of. “I told you I was going to fix this, and I will. That’s a _promise._ ”

Cassandra smiled and let her arms fall down and relax their grip on her. “Ok. I trust you.” 

A loud knock came from the door, followed by a guard swinging it open. “Your Highness, the King needs you to--”

The three of them stayed silent for a second, all frozen in place, contemplating their next move. The guard was the first to take any action, calling for reinforcements, Cassandra stepped back, red rocks shooting up from the ground and onto the wall behind her. The stone crumbled down and formed an exit, she slid down a large spike and started to run. Rapunzel, the last to move, ran after her. 

Rapunzel reached for Cassandra’s wrist and held it tight. “Cass!” 

She stopped. 

“Cassandra, please just wait.” 

Several guards surrounded them, Eugene watching carefully among them, waiting for an opportunity to jump in if the need arose, Caine and Varian both armed with the same weapons they’d been testing before, Lance standing behind them muttering orders. 

“Everyone _stand down._ ” Rapunzel ordered, letting out a small sigh of relief now that they were no longer aiming their weapons at her. “Cassandra, I need you to stay calm, ok? No one’s going to hurt you.”

“Rapunzel I _want_ to believe you but they-- it’s not safe for me to be around them. I need to leave.”

Rapunzel squeezed Cassandra’s wrist harder when she tried to leave. “Cass I can’t let you go back there. Not when everyone’s life, including yours, could be at stake.” 

“They already _are._ Look around Rapunzel? It’s not safe for me to be here!” 

Rocks shot up, followed by the panicked screams of citizens fleeing the scene. Rapunzel slowly relaxed her grip on Cassandra’s wrist, but didn’t let go. “Cassandra it’s ok. I-- I never got a chance to thank you, for saving me in the Dark Kingdom, I don’t want to undermine that all here, but I can’t let you keep hurting yourself like this.”

Cassandra relaxed a few of the red rocks receding with her. 

Rapunzel smiled. “We’ll find a way to save everyone, trust me.”

_We can find a way to save Rapunzel and the kingdom, trust me, we’ll find a way._ Varian stopped, air no longer going into his lungs, he felt the ghost of pain on his side, familiar anger-- _terrifying_ anger he could never forget. Without thinking, he aimed his weapon and pulled the trigger. 

Rapunzel watched as amber grew around them, they jumped out of the way, barely escaping its grasp and whipping their heads to the source of the blast. Rapunzel opened her mouth, ready to tell off whoever decided to fire, her eyes fell on Varian, shaking, tears forming as he refused to meet her in the eyes, staring blankly at the amber next to them. She said nothing to him, instead looking over to Cassandra. 

“Cass, I’m sorry I--”

“You...you’re afraid of me, aren’t you?” Cassandra laughed dryly. “You have every right to be.” 

“No, no Cassandra, it’s not like that they just--”

“It’s ok.” She sighed. “I surrender. Whatever it is you need to do to put the people at ease, I’ll comply. I just...I just wanted you safe. I never wanted this.” 

Rapunzel smiled sadly and held her hands in her own. “I’m glad to have you back, Cass.” 

She returned the smile. “I’m glad to _be_ back.”

“Are you _kidding_ me?!” A voice shouted from a few feet away. Everyone looked to see Zhan Tiri stepping out from her place of hiding. “I go through all this and you just-- _give up?!_ ” 

The guards readied their weapons at the sight of her, though it did nothing to change her demeanor, fear not present, nor taking over her rage.

“I’ve had enough of this! I’m not letting you _throw away_ everything I’ve worked for!” Zhan Tiri’s eyes began to glow a sickly shade of green as tentacles sprouted beneath her skirt, they wrapped around Cassandra and yanked her over to where she stood.

“Cassandra!” Rapunzel yelled, attempting to run over and save her. A lash from Zhan Tiri sent her flying back, Eugene barely able to catch her. 

Zhan Tiri pulled Cassandra closer, her hand reaching for the moonstone.

“You don’t know what will happen if you take that.” Cassandra wheezed out.

“I could care less. So long as I get rid of _you._ ” 

With that, she yanked the moonstone from its place on Cassandra’s armor, then tossed her aside. Rapunzel and Eugene ran to her and helped her up, Lance started shouting orders to the guards, which divisions should attack, where Caine should fire. His efforts were in vain, any attack launched quickly blocked by large vines and plants. 

“Oh, I believe I forgot to introduce you to some old friends of mine.” 

Three figures stepped out of seemingly nowhere, all with similar glowing eyes. Vines, branches, and flowers sprouting from every crack in the pavement, wrapping themselves around the guards. 

“Everyone into the castle!” Lance ordered. “Any able bodied guards lead the citizens to safety!” 

Those who could respond nodded quickly and ran to the citizens in the square, they made their way to the castle’s entrance, but stopped at the giant tree that formed in front of the door.

“Sorry dearies, the castle is off limits.” Sugracha said with a sinister smile.

“What do we do?” Caine yelled pushing the citizens behind her as a branch swung down in front of them. 

“We have to fall back, Lance!” Eugene yelled, cutting vines with his sword. 

“What-- but they’re taking over the kingdom!” 

“The people matter more! We need to evacuate the capital! For now it’s better to live to fight another day.” 

Lance nodded. “Alright, everyone fall back!”

Citizens and guards alike ran to the edge of the courtyard, anyone capable of fighting staying in the back of the group and slashing at the vines and branches that would follow behind them. Cackling, maniacal laughter could be heard echoing throughout the streets as a wall of black rocks shot up in the castle. 

“The prisons! There’s still people in there!” Rapunzel yelled as she caught up to Eugene and Lance. 

Eugene paused. “Rapunzel, we can’t afford to go back.” 

“But--”

“We’re going to take back the kingdom, I know we will. For now,” He sighed. “We just need to save everyone we can.” 

“We should take shelter at the Snuggle Duckling.” Cassandra cut in. “It’s the last place she’d look.” 

Eugene nodded and looked to Lance, who ran to the front of the crowd. “Follow me!” He shouted, waving to a certain section of the woods. 

The people followed, running and panting for what felt like an hour until they reached the small wooden bar deep in the woods. A few people slumped to the ground and wheezed, while others simply leaned against a tree. 

Eugene walked over to Rapunzel, who stared solemnly at the fallen kingdom they once called home. Large black rocks decorating almost every surface, large, black and blue glowing trees, flowers, and vines adorning them. It was almost beautiful, if it were under different circumstances.

He held her hand. “Blondie?”

“I-- I never thought it would come to this.” 

“We’re going to take back our kingdom.” Eugene squeezed her hand. “No matter what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Faith's just vibing the next town over during the entire finale and we love her for it.


	14. Chapter 14

_This is the story of a clown child and her juggalo friends--_

_Eugene!_

_Right, sorry. This is the story of Zhan Tiri, and our fight to take her down. Now, you may be thinking this demon is pretty terrifying, black rocks, tentacles and a small group of people capable of ending your life with as little as a snap of their fingers, but don’t worry, she’s only eight._

_She’s over a millenia old._

_I’m trying to bring up morale. Anyways, to elaborate on this devil child’s existence, when the sundrop and moonstone fell from the heavens, they took over the vessel they landed on. A flower grew from the sundrop, while a child took the moonstone’s will. She grew into a powerful sorceress, hellbent on destruction and feared by all who knew her. She had another goal, to reunite with her other half._

_She did whatever she could to reach her goal, even allying herself with someone determined to destroy her. He came close to doing so, banishing her into a small, unassuming opal. She used Cassandra, literally used her, to get to the sundrop, and when Cass decided she wasn’t having it, she took the moonstone for herself._

_Not only is she in full control of her power, she’s also got three revived disciples ready to take down the kingdom and everyone in it. It’s enough to make anyone give up. Lucky for us, we’re not the type to do that._

Rapunzel looked out to the capital, black rocks shining against the sun’s glow. “There’s got to be a way to fix all this…”

“I’m sure you’ll find something Raps.”

Rapunzel jumped, then relaxed. “Oh! Hi Cassandra.” 

“Is it ok if I sit next to you?” She sat down at Rapunzel’s nod, looking out to the kingdom as well. 

“So,” Rapunzel said after a moment of silence. “You’re hiding as well.”

“Ha, yeah. I swear those people could stare a hole through my skull.” She laughed quietly, then sighed. “I probably shouldn’t think much of it. It’s to be expected.”

Rapunzel frowned. “Cass, I’m sorry for all this.”

“What? No this isn’t your fault--”

“We wouldn’t be here if I had just listened to you!” Rapunzel stopped, whispered an apology for the sudden raise in volume, then spoke again. “You were right, I _was_ being a bad friend. I didn’t listen to you, I undermined you, I put myself first. _I_ should be the one apologizing.” 

“You didn’t know you were doing anything wrong! I never told you. I-- I kept taking every comment or disregard and shove in the back of my mind because I thought it didn’t matter. You put yourself first because _I_ was putting you first. If I had just been upfront with how I felt we could have avoided all of this.” 

“And I never made you feel like you could.” Rapunzel sighed. “I...I think we both messed up here.”

“We should’ve had this talk a year ago.” 

“Two years, if I’m being honest. Then maybe…” Rapunzel took her hand. Even though armor covered them both, she still knew which she was holding, she’d never forget. “Maybe...I could heal it. I could at least make up for one mistake.” 

“But I thought…”

“Turns out Varian’s immune to magic. Well, was.” Rapunzel glanced nervously to the side, knowing Cassandra was making a similar expression of discomfort. 

Cassandra stayed silent, staring down at her hand and squeezing it slightly. “I...I’d need time to think about it.” She said quietly, moving her hand out of her sight. “I’ve had this for so long, I don’t know if I want it gone. If-- if that makes sense.” 

“Ok.” 

The silence began again, getting more awkward the more it happened. 

“So,” Rapunzel said suddenly with false positivity. “I um, I know this might be a difficult topic, but we should probably discuss what we’re...going to do about your um-- your sentence.” 

“Right.” Cassandra drummed her hands on the ground. “Do whatever you have to Raps.” 

“I’ve been upfront about your situation with the public, so I should be allowed some leniency with it. I was thinking maybe… community service. You can work under the guard and help get rid of the black rocks.” 

“That’s...light. Fitting, but light.” 

“It’s the sentence I’m giving quite a few people, I thought you’d like to work with a few of them.”

“Really? Who?”

“Your father.” 

“I uh, I didn’t realize my dad was in jail.” 

“You’ve...missed a lot. I’ll have Eugene catch you up.” Rapunzel laughed nervously. 

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “He’s going to give the worst summary possible I hope you know.” 

“Oh I’m counting on it.” Rapunzel stood up and held out her hand. “Why don’t we stop hiding?” 

Cassandra sighed and took her hand. “Fine.” 

Cassandra found herself regretting her decision rather fast, the longer they walked back and the denser the crowd got only leading to more concerned eyes burning through her skull. She was still holding Rapunzel’s hand, something out of character for her, though the fear she felt only made her squeeze it harder. 

“We’re back!” Rapunzel yelled in a sing-song voice as she kicked down the door to the Snuggly Duckling. Those inside shot up immediately, moods that were previously sour lifting at the sight of her. Her eyes snapped over to the brotherhood, sitting around a table in the back. She looked over to Cass. “I’m going to go catch them up on all this, I’ll see you in a minute!” 

“Wait Raps don’t leave me alone--” Cassandra started to say, but gave up after Rapunzel started talking with Madeline. She sighed.

“I don’t think Rapunzel realizes how little you like to socialize.” Eugene joked, making Cassandra jump. 

She relaxed and groaned. “I wonder if she’ll notice me sneaking off again.” 

“I can assure you she’ll notice the second you’re gone.” Eugene watched as she groaned again, slumping her posture. “Sorry.”

“It’s not even my inability to talk to people at this point. I just, I have no clue what’s going on. Quirin’s alive, Caine’s here for...some reason, my dad’s apparently in jail.”

“Ah, yes, you missed the revolution.” 

“The _what?_ ”

“Alright, lemme recap this for you. We went back to Corona after you took the moonstone to find this huge riot about the rocks invading the capital. The king was a jackass and couldn’t handle being called out on his bullshit so he threw a tantrum, locked Rapunzel in her room, threw me and Lance in jail, and set up take two for Varian’s execution.” 

“How many near death experiences has this kid had?”

“I believe we’ve reached twenty three. Anyways, Lance and I break out easy enough, and break Rapunzel out with some assistance from Arianna. We sprint down to the courtyard, Rapunzel puts a stop to the execution, and verbally kicks every government official’s ass.” 

“I can practically see the hearts in your eyes.”

Eugene snorted. “Rapunzel dumps Freddy in jail, not before we get to bully him of course. Varian kicked him in the balls, which is quite possibly the best moment of my life, and yes, I’m including the time Rapunzel brought me back to life.” 

“Damn I wish I could've seen that.” 

“Varian will recreate it for you upon request. So, after that we did a complete reform of just about everything. Lance is Captain now, and he’s doing a pretty good job at it if I’m being honest. Your dad is...on thin ice, he’s a good person, I won’t deny him that, but his loyalty to the crown has caused more than a few...issues...between us, so we’ve been hesitant to put him back on, even as a guard.” 

“I’ll talk to him.”

“I’m sure if he’ll listen to anyone, it’s you.” Eugene smiled. “After our revolution, we brought Quirin back to life, worst mistake we’ve ever made, that guy’s a dick. So now Varian lives in the castle with us. Also I think Lance keeps trying to adopt him which is fun.” 

“Why am I not surprised.” 

“The only surprising thing about this is that it didn’t happen sooner.” Eugene deadpanned. “Speaking of Lance’s family, Kiera and Catalina are now permanent residents. Catalina turns into a raging beast anytime she gets pissed so lecturing her is near impossible. Caine’s no longer a criminal, she’s working as a guard under Lance and um, those two have an...interesting relationship.”

“I noticed.” 

“And I believe that’s it! See, not that much.” 

“Not that-- You overthrew the monarchy.” 

“Yeah, no biggie. It feels like forever ago we dealt with that. We’ve been so focused on dealing with you and Zhan Tiri that it just kind...slipped our minds?” Eugene huffed. “Yeah that sounds weird.” 

“Ha, yeah.” Cassandra sighed. “Eugene, I’m sorry. For everything that’s happened.” 

“What? None of this is really your fault. That creepy kid used you as a human puppet, it’s not like we can blame you for that.” 

“It’s not like she could always possess me, some of that was my own choice.” 

“I doubt the red rock thing was your choice, at least from what I heard. Come on, Cassandra you’re being ridiculous--”

“I’m talking about what I did to Varian!” She stopped, looking around nervously at those in the bar, everyone staring at her, waiting for what she would do next. She jumped when Eugene put a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t think I’m the one you should be apologizing to.”

She sighed, glancing over to the back of the bar where Varian was sitting, a large book in his hand he seemed way too focused on, more focused on looking at the page than reading the words. 

“Fine.” She said quickly as she made her way over to him. He about shot up to the ceiling when she tapped the edge of his book. “We need to talk.” 

“Oh, uh, sure.” He muttered, setting the book down and following her into a back room. 

He found himself scared to be alone with her, something he’d never acknowledge out loud, lest someone hear it. They sat down in two chairs next to each other, maintaining enough distance to be far away, though not awkwardly so. Each looked in opposite directions, silently hoping they could simply transfer their thoughts and intentions through a few quick words and be done with it all. 

“I see you’re still talking about me behind my back.” He said quietly, mentally cursing himself out the second the words left his mouth.

“I see you’re still a piece of shit.” She muttered back, sharing a similar look of awkward regret over the statement. 

“Do we have to do this? Can we just sit here in silence for twenty minutes and say we talked it out?” 

“As tempting as that is, I probably _should_ apologize to you. You don’t even have to respond, really, I could just word vomit and then we could leave?”

“I feel like it would be more awkward if I just gave a quick thumbs up and walked away to something like that.” 

“Ok, so we’re doing this. Conversation, feelings and junk, the whole shebang.” 

“Looks like it.” 

Cassandra groaned. “Alright. Varian I’ve been a dick to you ever since we’ve met.” 

“Wait what--”

“I believed the rumors that you weren’t to be trusted, and even after meeting and interacting with you I never once dropped my suspicions. That was wrong of me, especially after you continued to prove you were a trustworthy person.” 

“Wow, you’re-- you’re just starting at the beginning ok.” 

“Well, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” She sighed. “After you came to Rapunzel during the blizzard, I didn’t look for you. The next time we saw each other I had long since decided you weren’t on our side anymore without even bothering to understand why you were doing what you were doing.” 

“Ha, yeah that er, that kind of stung.” 

“Which, if I’m being honest, completely justified you attacking me during the whole...villain thing.” 

“First of all, great description. Second of all,” He took in a deep breath. “I almost killed you?” 

“And my negligence could have killed you. Was your life in danger during those three months we weren’t there?” 

“Oh, well-- well I guess you could say that--” 

“Does Eugene need to add to his list?”

“He has a list?-- yeah probably.” 

“I rest my case.” She slumped her head against the wall behind her. “After that, I held that incident over your head, long past what it was worth. I don’t think I was nice to you more than a minute in the entire year we travelled together. I still didn’t trust you.”

“I feel like at that point you had the right to not trust me.”

“At first, definitely. But I took it too far, and I still hated you after that. You saw the product of that hatred when I kidnapped you.” 

“I hate that word, kidnapped. It makes me sound like some sort of damsel.” 

“I’m well aware you can handle yourself, don’t worry.” She sat up and glanced over to him. “You were right, you know?” 

He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

“I was being a hypocrite. I was hurting everyone around me and I was too blind to see I was in the wrong. Honestly, I’m not better than you,” She let out a shaky breath. “I’m worse.” 

“Cassandra, no--”

“You don’t have to refute it, Varian. You of all people should know the kind of person I am. I know why I did it, at first, I did it for Rapunzel. That’s why I took the moonstone. After that, I did it to spite her, because I hated how she was to me and I wanted her to know that. Sure, its a reason, but compared to yours it's practically nothing.” 

“Ha, yeah. I find my trauma ends up trumping any argument thrown at me. Maybe I should start weaponizing it.”

“Kid if you weaponized every traumatic thing that’s happened to you, you’d never lose an argument again.” She paused. “Please don’t weaponize it.” 

“Don’t worry I won’t.” 

They sat in silence again, not sure what to say. Cassandra was mentally checking for something she left out, something she should get specific on. There was so much she’d done, to him personally, not even to people in general. What was it all for? A petty grudge?

“What now?” Varian spoke, startling the both of them.

“Well I know Rapunzel would be all ‘Now hug it out and rekindle your beautiful friendship’ but I… I don’t think that would work with us.” She held her hands together and rested her arms on her thighs, looking over to him. “Were we ever really friends?”

He frowned. “I don’t know. I had hoped… but looking back, I can’t really see it.”

“Do you want to be friends?”

“Yes, well, no-- maybe? It’s complicated.” 

She gestured with her arms to indicate it was his turn to rant. “The floor is yours.” 

“Heh, really pushing the whole share your feelings thing, huh?” He sighed. “Ok, I like you. Not-- not the way I did before, I don’t think I’ve liked you like that since, well, you know, but-- well… you’re just, you’re fun to hang out with.” 

“Oh yes our pow-wow in the tower was a real treat.” 

“I don’t know about you but I had a great time.” He laughed sarcastically. “I meant before all that. You were brutal, said what was on your mind and didn’t take anyone’s shit. It was refreshing, if I’m being honest. Not too many people out there who neglect pulling their punches.” 

“What, do you like to be insulted?”

“No of course not. But it made it feel like the moments you were nice meant a lot more, because I knew they were genuine.” 

“I don’t think I was ever nice to you.” 

“There were moments. Little comments, vocalized concerns, actions that indicated you gave even the slightest shit about me. You may not remember them, but I do.” He glanced to the ground. “I may not have said it, but I did want you to like me, to trust me, even if it was only little.” 

“I know it's too late, but I do trust you, now at least.” She slowly put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good person, Varian. I’m sorry I never realized that.” 

“That means a lot. But…”

“But?”

He gripped the fabric on his pants with shaking hands and stared holes through the floorboards. “You scared me, Cassandra. You still do.” 

She took her hand off his shoulder. “Oh.” 

“I know I egged you on a bit, maybe more than a bit, but I was just… I was so _frustrated_ that you were doing all this. I don’t know if it was because of your attitude towards everything or that you would be forgiven the second you switched sides.” He let go of his iron grip on his clothes, his face relaxing from scrunched frustration to something that looked...exhausted. 

She found herself not knowing what to do, something that happened more often the longer the conversation progressed. She could attempt to comfort him, though she doubted that was what he wanted, from her at least, it wouldn’t prove anything anyway. 

“I didn’t think about what you did to me before that, even if now when I think about it it terrifies me, then it didn’t cross my mind. I thought, despite everything, at the very least you wouldn’t-- you wouldn’t hurt me.” He tried to push back the tears that formed in his eyes, he didn't want to cry in front of her. “Or worse.”

“How… how bad was it? After everything I did?” 

“You’re not going to like it.” 

“That doesn’t matter.”

He gave a small, unsure smile. “Me and Eugene started a club.” 

“What?”

“The ‘I got revived by Rapunzel’ club.” 

“You-- you died.” She stared at him with wide eyes. “I _killed_ you.”

“It only lasted a few seconds, really. It’s no big deal.” 

“No big-- I thought you had just had close encounters with death, I didn’t think you ever actually _died._ ” Cassandra gripped her hair with her hands. “Eugene was right. God damnit he was right, the only relationship you’ve ever had with was death and its one hell of a romance.”

Varian snorted. “Yes, thank you Cassandra, for helping me reunite with my one true love, my own demise. Our chance encounters were never enough for me, he was too beautiful, I could never live off of simple glances.”

“Death is a guy?”

“I can like guys and girls, don’t judge me. And don’t interrupt my monologue.” He glared at her and continued. “It was too much to bear, I didn’t know how long I could last. Then you came to me like an angel, you said ‘Here, Varian, I can give you something you’ve always wanted, the chance to die’. I leaped to it, of course, and who could blame me? How could I sustain myself by looking at a man I could not talk to, could not touch--”

“Alright I’m stopping you there.” Cassandra huffed. “Can’t I just feel bad for you without you turning it into some dumb joke?”

“Dumb joke? Dumb? Excuse you I’m hilarious.” 

“Not really.” 

“Damn, ok. I guess I’ll take my jingly hat and shoes, put them in a rucksack and be on my way. You people never appreciated me anyway.”

“The subject, Varian. We’ve seemed to have lost it.”

“Oh no, tragic. I suppose we’ll just have to keep running with this and ignore everything said prior to it.” 

“Come on, kid. We don’t have to be friends because you think you have to.”

“It’s not that, I’m sure they’d be ok with it. I just...I don’t know yet. I don’t know if I want us to be friends or not.” He shrugged, frown still present on his face, then looked up to her. “What about you?”

“I’d be willing. You’re a dork, but you’re fun to be around.”

“Gee, thanks.” Varian chuckled. “Can you get back to me in a week?”

She laughed. “Yeah, sure.” 

“And I can insult you as much as I want in that time?”

“I doubt you’d stop if I said no.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. I never listen to anyone.”

Silence came again as soon as it had left, though it did not stay long. Without warning, Varian got up and walked toward the door, opening it and stepping out of the way as several people fell to the ground.

“It’s rude to spy on people you know.” 

“Sorry!” Rapunzel said sheepishly, pushing herself out of the pile. “We were all just... _really_ curious to see how this would go.” 

“Great, nice, amazing. Hey Cassie-- Cassandra, how would you feel if I killed them all right here?”

“Do whatever, I won’t try to stop you.” She smiled. “And you can call me Cassie, you’ve long since earned that right.” 

“Ok as sickeningly sweet as that is, we really should start coming up with a strategy.” Rapunzel gave Varian a quick, tight hug, much to his blatant discomfort, and stepped over the pile of people to a large table now assembled at the bar’s center. She gestured for everyone to take a seat, insisting Cassandra and Eugene be at either side. 

“Alright, let’s start with what we know about who we’re fighting.” Eugene began, getting their attention. “Cassandra, we’ll tell you what we know, and you tell us what you know.” 

“Alright.” 

“So Zhan Tiri, big bad blizzard turned clown child is in full possession of the moonstone. She can control the black rocks whenever she wants, so we’ll be dealing with black spikes coming out of nowhere.”

“There are others, too.” Cassandra cut in. “Some are different shapes or colors, what she summons depends on what she’s feeling at the time. I don’t know the specifics, as I’ve never actually seen her use them, but you should expect a variety.” 

“Great, any special powers with them we should be worried about?”

“Outside of the red rocks I don’t think so.” Cassandra looked over to Madeline. “You spent more time with the moonstone than I did, is there anything you saw outside the red rocks?”

“There were orange ones, they formed coils. It facilitated rage.” She said quietly, glancing nervously at Varian. “They appeared when Edmund died, I doubt that sort of situation could be recreated now, so it shouldn’t be a concern.” 

“Great, so all we have to worry about from her are fancy rocks, no big deal.” Lance joked, though his expression was that of discontent rather than amusement. 

“So our main concern should fall on the disciples.” Rapunzel cut in. “Cass, what do you know about them?”

“Not much. We’ve rarely interacted since they were revived, and most of the time I’ve been unconscious.” She smiled when Rapunzel put a hand on her shoulder, covering it with her own hand. “You’ve seen most of what they can do, plant stuff, being creepy, that sort of thing.” 

“Sounds like fun.” Caine chimed in, resting her chin on her hand. “What is their plan, exactly? They’ve basically won at this point so I’m guessing some sort of defense thing, right?” 

“They haven’t won yet.” Madeline cut in. “She still hasn’t acquired the sundrop.” 

Rapunzel frowned. “Cass?”

“I don’t know how she’s going to take it, but I do know how she’ll make it possible.”

“And how will she do that?” Eugene leaned over to meet her in the eyes.

“By cutting her power off at the source.”

“She’s gonna get rid of the _sun?!_ ” Angry cut in, receiving a glare from Lance.

“I thought I said you two weren’t supposed to be here.” 

“Yeah, well, too bad you’re dealing with us. Is she really just going to punch the sun out of the sky?” 

“Er, no.” Cassandra looked rapidly between the two of them, then to the table. “Once we’re in there and she’s built enough power, she’s going to cover the capital in black rocks, effectively blocking it from view and as a fuel source.”

“Oh! I’m sure that’ll be...great.” Rapunzel rubbed the back of her neck, looking nervously back to her hair. 

“So I’m assuming the disciples will be acting as guards to keep us from interrupting her?” Adira asked, silencing the foreboding air that followed the addition of information.

Cassandra nodded.

Adira thought for a moment. “Then we should divide and conquer. Have three groups take on one so we can get to Zhan Tiri before she has enough power to cut off our ace.” 

Lance frowned. “Most of our men are injured, and we still need people here to look after non-combatants.”

“Then we keep the teams small and efficient. It would give them less to work with anyhow.” 

“Ok, so we’ll divide what troops we have among three divisions.” Eugene nodded. “Who wants to lead which?” 

“Actually, I think it might be best if the four of us stayed in our own, smaller group.” Hector interrupted before anyone could volunteer. “We work better by ourselves.”

“Oh, well, if that’s the case we’ll just split them in half.” 

“Caine and I can lead one of them.” Lance volunteered. “Kiera, Catalina, you’re with us.”

“You’re letting us come with you?” Catalina asked nervously, not sure if she would believe him.

“If I don’t you’ll end up sneaking along anyway, I’d rather be there to make sure you don’t get yourselves hurt.” Lance smiled. “That, and I’m pretty sure you two aren’t too bad in a fight.” 

“I can attest, they’ve grown a lot the past few months I’ve been working with them.” Adira leaned back in her chair, one hand to her chest and a confident smirk on her face. 

“That leaves the four of us with the other half, then!” Rapunzel smiled. “We can each go through a different entrance, that way we won’t all get caught up in the same fight.” 

Eugene nodded. “Helping civilians out of the castle should be our first priority, the staff, nobles, and anyone else stuck inside.”

“There’s an entrance in the back of the castle that leads directly to where the prisons are. Our group can make sure they’re protected.” Rapunzel’s smile fell to a more serious expression, as if she were challenging anyone to disagree with what she’d decided. Luckily, they didn’t.

“Our group will take the front entrance, keep whoever’s guarding it distracted while you guys go through back entrances.” Lance added, his demeanor matching hers.

“So that’s our plan then? Are we ready for this?” Madeline asked the group collectively.

Rapunzel nodded. “We’ll rest and recuperate for tonight, and attack at dawn.” She smiled. “Zhan Tiri may have the capital, but she’s not taking this kingdom.” 

Eugene smiled as well. “There’s my Sunshine, good to have you back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wheezing the entire time I wrote cass and varian talking it out I hope you know. These two dorks suck at emotions and it SHOWS.


	15. Announcement

Hey guys! I know it may still be a little early to call it but considering its sunday and I haven't even _started_ the chapter yet, I can safely say there won't be an update on time. I've got way too much planned. Things have been pretty busy lately, and I haven't found the time nor motivation to keep this up, so despite how much I've fought against going on a hiatus for the finale, I'm caving. I'm not sure how long it will be, but it won't be longer than a month. At the very latest, expect an update sometime around Christmas. I'm very sorry to those of you who were looking forward to this sooner, but I'd rather give you a good product than a rushed one. Thank you for your patience and I hope to see you soon :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUES WHO'S BACK BITCHES

Rapunzel sanded away at her frying pan as though she were sharpening a sword, her weapon of choice not being the most obvious, nor the most practical, but she brandished it the same as any warrior would. Others prepared in similar ways, donning armor borrowed from soldiers unable to fight, taking daggers and knives, preparing crossbows, practicing with swords. 

The Brotherhood scouted ahead of them, being the smaller, more experienced group, choosing them for that initial mission wasn’t too difficult of a decision. Their absence was the cause of Rapunzel’s nervous and aggressive sanding, something Eugene was talking himself into confronting, but ceased when they returned. 

“Good news! I’m hiring the disciples as my own personal gardners!” Adira yelled as she hopped down from a tree and landed a few inches in front of Eugene, making him jump. “Better news, Sugracha is guarding the entrance, the other two are doing their rounds inside.” 

“So, if Lance’s division heads straight for the entrance, the rest of us should be able to sneak past without much issue.” Madeline walked up next to her and spoke with a smile, as though that slight convenience were the best news she’d acquired that day, though, if they were being honest, it probably was. 

“Great!” Rapunzel said, far more enthusiastically than she probably should have. “I think everyone’s just about ready, so we’ll be heading back out in just a few minutes.”

“Are _you_ ready?” Eugene asked, taking her hand and holding it. 

She sucked in a breath. “Not really, but we still have to do this.” 

Rapunzel’s eyes fell on a wooden crate leaning against a wall by the Snuggly Duckling. She walked over and picked it up, noting by the clink of the bottles inside that it was probably beer, and set it down in front of the crowd of people. Eugene helped her up, and waited for her to begin. 

“People of Corona!” She spoke loudly, getting their attention. “And the brotherhood.” She added as a side note, earning a snort from Hector. “I know right now you may be feeling wary about the battle ahead, and that even with our numbers, we may not stand a chance against their sheer power. But while they do have magic, there’s one thing they don’t have.”

“Oh god is it hope or something? Friendship? Love and sparkles?” Caine muttered, smiling when Lance and Varian, who stood beside her, snickered.

“Good guess, but no. They don’t have our determination. And yes,” Rapunzel chuckled. “Comradery was one of my points. But it’s important! Some may say compassion is a weakness, but when it comes down to it, we won’t fall apart under pressure. They may be strong, but they’re quick to give up. Will we give up if things go sour?” 

A chorus of ‘no’s’ rang out through the crowd, Rapunzel nodded.

“Of course not! Corona never gives up! Now let’s fight for our home!” Rapunzel pumped her fist in the air, smiling wide as everyone followed. She stepped down and let Lance step up.

“Alright! Division A, you’ll be following me to the entrance of the castle, we’ll be keeping Sugracha distracted while the others sneak inside. Division B, you’re with Rapunzel, evacuate any and all citizens inside the castle, and keep the prisoners safe." Lance looked around at their reactions, small but firm nods. “Everyone split up. If everything goes according to plan, corona will be ours again by nightfall!” 

Cheer rang out through the crowd, followed by small conversations as the soldiers divided themselves in half. Caine, Kiera, and Catalina walked up to the front of one group, staying close to Lance as they made their way back to the Capital. Rapunzel waved Cassandra and Varian to the front with her and Eugene, then began leading the remaining troops in a different direction, waving goodbye to the brotherhood as they departed. 

“Wow.” Caine muttered when they reached the other side of the bridge, looking up at the black trees with blue and green glowing flowers and vines. “Adira’s right, these guys would make _great_ gardeners.”

“Didn’t take you for the plant loving type.” Lance responded at a similar volume. 

“It’s less about the plants and more about how ominous they look.” She shrugged.

“Why thank you dearie.” A voice echoed throughout the wooded courtyard.

“You’re welcome-- oh shit.”

A tree branch grew and slammed down next to her, Caine just barely able to dodge. A woman, old and frail looking, not much of a threat by appearance, stepped out from the shadows, eyes glowing a sinister green, the only feature alluding to the real threat she posed. 

“I do believe this is unfair.” Sugracha said with a pout. “All these people against one person. What’s a girl to do?” 

The men readied their weapons, unwavering. 

She sighed and raised her hand. “Sorry dears, that just won’t do.”

* * *

Rapunzel motioned the guards inside one of the secret entrances along the castle walls, waiting until all of them were inside before sprinting to the front to let them know where to go and what was safe. It was a quick trip to the dungeons from where they entered, most of the trek spent getting to the level it was on less than how far into the castle it was.

“What are you doing here princess?” One of the prisoners asked, his nose scrunched up in confusion and disdain.

“Making sure you don’t die.” She responded matter-of-factly, then turned to the guards. “I want you all to disperse throughout the prisons. If you catch sight of one of the disciples you will alert me immediately, do you understand?” 

The men nodded, a few giving a quick ‘yes ma’am’ before spreading out throughout the dungeons. 

“Alright! Eugene, Cassandra you two head over to the far end of the blocks, Varian,” Rapunzel looked over to him, then frowned. “You’re with me.”

The two nodded and walked away, Eugene pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before leaving with Cassandra. Rapunzel gave a quick smile then put her hand lightly on Varian’s shoulder.

“Hey, you ok?” 

“Er, yeah.” Varian gave a quick thumbs up, looking around nervously.

“I um…” She grit her teeth. “Bringing you to prison with me might have been a bad idea in hindsight.”

“I’ll be ok. It’s not like I spent much time here.” He laughed awkwardly, letting out a sigh of relief when Cassandra called them over. 

Rapunzel turned her head, slowly making her way past the guards stationed in front of each cell to where Cassandra and Eugene were, both standing in front of a cell, Cassandra looking as though she were on the verge of tears, and Eugene looking like he was about to crawl out of his own skin.

“Is...something wrong?” Rapunzel looked between the two of them.

Cassandra motioned her over, pulling her closer and saying in a whisper. “If it’s...not to much to ask. I think we could use his help.” 

Rapunzel glanced to the side, looking inside the cell in question, meeting eyes with the former captain. To his surprise, she gave a wide smile and nod, taking the keys from one of the guards nearby and letting him out. He didn’t make a move at first, perhaps out of shock, or maybe confusion, but that movement was not found to be necessary, as Cassandra sprinted into his arms the second the door was open.

“Hey dad.” She muttered, choking back a sob. “I’ve missed you.” 

He returned her hug, something foreign to the both of them, and squeezed her tight. “I’ve missed you too.” 

A loud thud interrupted them, the stone walls cracking and crumbling slightly as something slammed against the other side of it. The five jumped and looked to the source of the noise, seeing through a barred window what looked to be a human tornado. 

“I...wow. We severely underestimated them.” Eugene attempted to joke, but found nothing lighthearted about that sentiment. 

“Alright, ok.” Rapunzel took in a deep breath. “Captain-- wait, what do I call you?” 

“Oh, you can just call me by my name I suppose.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Humphrey. Humphrey Skott.” 

Varian barked out a laugh despite himself, for the first time in several years finding himself unafraid of a guard. “Why does everyone’s names here have to be so _awful?_ ”

The former captain scrunched his nose but said nothing, only sighing and muttering to himself as Varian continued to laugh.

“I mean-- I mean seriously! We’ve got Fitzherbert, Arnwaldo, Millie, _Lettuce,_ ” He snorted. “And now this! It’s so _stupid_ I-- honestly I’m going to cry holy shit.” 

Eugene groaned. “Yes we get it you and Cassandra won in the name department now can we _please_ go back to the whole ‘warlocks raised from the dead trying to destroy us thing?’” 

“Yes, let’s.” Rapunzel cleared her throat and whispered, “Lettuce, _lettuce._ ” Then spoke again in a normal tone. “Humphrey, no wait that's far too casual. Mr.Skott? I think I actually hate this.” 

“Just call me Skott your highness.” 

“Ok, yes, Skott. That works.” She sighed. “Skott if it were alright, I’d like you to take a portion of the guards we have on hand and help with the er... _situation_ in the courtyard. I think we can manage alright with less guards, and they seem to need some help.” 

Another guard fell through the wall. Skott nodded. “I’ll be out there to help them in under ten minutes.”

Rapunzel smiled. “Thank you.” Her expression turned more serious, looking over to one of the guards and giving instructions to gather a portion of their forces. “Oh, and Skott?”

“Yes, your highness?”

“After this is over, I’m changing your sentence.” Her smile grew back. “You won’t be coming back here.” 

“Oh, um, thank you.” He gave a quick bow and gave orders to the men he was given, racing out of the prisons to the main courtyard. 

Eugene looked out the window, frowning as men flew around the courtyard. “I hope they’ll be alright.” 

Rapunzel took his hand. “They will be.”

* * *

“What the hell are we supposed to do about this?!” Caine shouted, then looked down at the kids. “Don’t repeat that.” 

“Do you think I know?! I’ve dealt with a lot of magical bullshit-- don’t repeat that-- but I’ve never dealt with a _fucking tornado!_ ” Lance responded, looking frantically between the tornado and her.

“Holy _fuck!_ ” Kiera exclaimed as a tree slammed down in front of her.

“ _I said don’t repeat that!_ ” Caine and Lance shouted in unison, groaning when Kiera muttered an apology.

Only a few seconds passed before yet another guard was thrown their way, barely caught by Lance, sending the both of them back into a tree. Another branch slammed down beside them, Caine narrowly avoiding it and pulling the girls out of the way, Sugracha cackling above them.

“How did you expect to defeat our master if you can’t even beat a little natural disaster?” She said through laughter, holding her sides and kicking her legs as she floated high above them.

“That’s it. I’m going to kill her.” Catalina said, eyes already glowing an eerie red, claws growing along her fingers. 

“I thought we agreed not to use that--” Lance started to say.

“Oh? What’s a little girl going to do to me? Cry?” Sugracha continued to laugh. 

“Nevermind, go ahead.”

Catalina smiled, growing twice her normal size, fur sprouting everywhere. Sugracha’s laughter was put to a stop as Catalina leapt to the treetops to meet her in the eyes. 

She gulped. “H-hello little girl.”

Catalina growled, grabbed her ankle, and threw her into a wall. The guards caught in the tornado fell to the ground, sliding down branches from tries and hitting the pavement with a small thud. Sugracha, however, hit the ground with a solid ‘boom’ while Catalina picked her up by the leg again and slammed her repeatedly into the pavement. 

“Wow, is this what being a proud parent is like?” Caine wiped a tear from her eye, watching Catalina let out a howl, standing over Sugracha’s body, which proceeded to turn to dust. 

“What the--?!” Skott yelled, running up to them. “What is that?!”

“Our daughter.” Caine and Lance said in unison.

Skott fell backwards in shock as the wolf shrunk exponentially in size, a little girl in its place. The girl leaned down and poked the dust on the ground. 

“Did I just kill someone?” 

Caine walked up and ruffled her hair. “Meh, she was already dead.” 

“I er...suppose reinforcements were not needed.” Skott said, dumbfounded, remaining unmoving from his previous position. 

Lance offered his hand to help him up. “Well they are very much appreciated!” He smiled when Skott accepted the gesture. “Plus, we _do_ still need help.”

“With what?”

Lance pointed up to the trees, half of his forces still trapped among the branches. 

“Oh.”

* * *

“Trumus is in the throne room. Gothel’s location is still unknown.” Adira spoke softly, jumping down from her vantage point and hitting the ground with an oddly quiet thud. “She’s probably patrolling the castle, so we shouldn’t run into her.”

“Do you think Rapunzel-- her team, could take her on?” Madeline asked, a twinge of concern on her face.

“Well, if she does run into that witch I doubt the others would let her get more than a word in.” Adira chuckled. 

“I believe Quirin is well aware how...fiery that fiance of her’s is. She’ll be fine.” Hector glanced over to Quirin, his smile only growing at his frown. 

“We should confront him sooner rather than later.” Quirin cut in, eyes focused on the man floating calmy around the throne room, then sitting himself lazily across the large throne in the back. 

Adira rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course. We’ll tease you later.” 

“Knowing you two you’ll tease me _while_ we’re fighting.” He muttered, though his comments were blatantly ignored as they made their way around the corridors to sneak up on the sorcerer. 

“Alright, on my count, we jump him.” Madeline ordered, giving each of them a quick glance to make sure they’d heard. “1...2...3!”

The four of them sprinted out from the passageway, each going from different directions to attack him, hoping one of them could land a hit while he was fending someone else off. Just one hit, just one fatal blow and it would all be over. 

“Ah, the cavalry’s arrived.” Trumus remarked before sending vines in each direction he was being attacked, slamming them all against the walls on either side of him. “No wait. It’s just the four of you.”

They struggled against the vines, eyes going wide at their green glow, small spikes poking into their skin.

“Oh, I wouldn’t recommend struggling. It’ll only make things more painful for you.” 

Hector reached for a knife in a pouch attached to his pant leg, taking it out and cutting at the vines. He got himself free and ran to the man again.

“Really should’ve cut your friends loose first.” Trumus remarked, summoning more vines and leaving him in the same spot he was before. “Idiot.” 

Hector looked around frantically at the others caught in the vine’s hold, the three of them having fallen unconscious during his failed attack. He felt his eyes drooping as well, though he tried to fight it.

“What the hell are you doing?” He spat out, still pulling against the vines, however fruitless that effort may be.

“Dealing with you, I thought that was obvious.” Trumus laughed quietly. “Even if those friends of yours break out of their own heads, they still have _you_ to deal with.”

“What do you…”

Trumus put his finger over his mouth. “You’ll see soon enough.” 

With that, his eyes stayed shut, the echoes of the man’s laughter ringing in his ears as he drifted to sleep with the rest of them.

* * *

“Damn my head hurts.” Madeline muttered, pushing herself up from the ground, a blinding white void that only made her head pound further. Everything was white, which was odd. Had she fallen asleep? 

“ _You didn’t protect me._ ”

She whipped around to the source of the noise, but found herself unable to locate it, or recognize who it was, the stranger’s voice echoing all around her. She sighed, there was one thing she recognized about it, and she knew it would only lead to pain. 

“ _This is your fault._ ” 

She looked around again, listening intently to the voice to see if she knew who it was, it helped her, knowing the accuser of her crimes, it was easier to deal with that way. The more she listened, the more she analyzed the echoes bouncing off the white void, the more she realized it was not one voice, but two, three, maybe more all stacked on top of one another. 

“ _You doomed us all._ ”

Suddenly crowds of people swarmed around her, forming up from the ground and staring her down. She knew some of them, citizens of the kingdom she and her husband had ruled over, victims to the moonstone and its destructive nature. She took in a shaky breath, and took in each insult thrown her way.

“ _People died because of your negligence._ ”

“ _My family left me to die because I refused to leave my frozen son. You left us to die._ ”

“ _My husband died, right in front of me. I watched that damned virus spread all over him till he couldn’t move, then I couldn’t either. You killed us both, our blood is on your hands._ ”

Madeline cursed the tears that formed in her eyes. She should be used to this by now, she told herself, she’d seen these people many times before, twenty years of accusations and agonizing cries and she still found herself tearing up at the sight of them. Perhaps that was a good thing, perhaps the grief that overwhelmed her every night was a reminder of her humanity, the one thing she had left to hold onto.

“ _My love, why didn’t you stop me._ ”

She sucked in a breath. She always hated this part.

“ _You were always the voice of reason. You always got me out of trouble, why didn’t you convince me I was wrong. Why did you let me do it?_ ” 

“Because I didn’t…” She flinched when he put a hand to her face, the same hand that had long since rotted away. “Because you should have realized this was wrong. I shouldn’t have to tell you every time you do something stupid.”

To her surprise, the man laughed. “ _You’ve never said that before._ ”

“I haven’t?” She started to ask, but stopped when her husband melted into the floor, disappearing from sight along with the rest of her kingdom. 

“ _Mom?_ ”

Her moment of relief was shoved back down at the sound of his voice. Her son had been a recent addition to these episodes, now knowing how he’d turned out. How much he’d grown, what good a person he was, all of it done on his own.

“ _Why didn’t you keep me? Am I not enough for you_?”

She choked back a sob, shutting her eyes tight, not daring to look him in the eyes. “I tried-- I tried _so hard_. I know it wasn’t enough I’m so _sorry_ \--” 

Arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a hug. She accepted it, not knowing if or when it would turn into something monstrous, but not caring. 

“ _You need to stop blaming yourself._ ” Her son said in a whisper so quiet she could barely hear it. 

“But you suffered-- _everyone_ suffered because of me--” 

He hugged her tighter. “ _You’ve bared the weight of your loss for far too long. You need to let go._ ”

“I can’t-- I can’t stop, not while people continue to suffer the consequences of my actions--”

“ _Please. You have to forgive yourself. You did everything you could._ ”

“No. There’s still more I have to do, more I have to make up for, _especially_ to you. But..” She slowly let go of him, finally bringing herself to look him in the eyes. “I suppose… it is time for me to move on.” 

Eugene smiled, then everything went white.

* * *

A blinding white light flooded into her eyes, Adira lifted her hand up over them on instinct, squinting and waiting till they adjusted to get a good look at her surroundings. The world slowly got dimmer, a familiar forest rotting away a mile a minute, bright greens muting into a disgusting brown that made her sick. 

This sight-- this sight was familiar to her, the rapid decay of the world around her was something so painfully familiar she didn’t dare even think about it till now, lest the memories it brought drag her down into a despair. Pushing past the familiarity of the scene, something felt...off. She shouldn’t be there, or maybe she shouldn’t be alone, she wasn’t sure which was correct.

“Sister…?” A voice called to her, meek, quiet, entirely too unlike who she knew it to be for her to be comfortable.

A hand grabbed her and twisted her around to meet with them, her gaze falling to Hector, hunched over and grabbing his side as though it had been injured, though no blood shone through. She remained unmoving, though every part of her wished to help him, she didn’t know how.

Hector let out a wheeze, lifted a weak hand to her face, dragged it down, then fell to the floor. 

“Hector?” She whispered. He did not answer, his only response was the few shaking wheezes that managed to escape his mouth. “Hector!”

Adira dropped to her knees, lifting him up and pushing his arm out of the way to check for a wound. He coughed and groaned at the sudden contact, but said nothing. She could not feel blood on his shirt, or anywhere that was fatal, yet he looked as though he may wither away. Wither...wither…

“Hector-- hector you’re going to be ok.” She started whispering, panicked and quick, the realization hitting her like a mountain on top of an ant. She pulled him close to her and pressed his forehead against hers. “You’re going to be ok. I’ve knocked you off a cliff before,” She let out a wet laugh. “You’re going to be fine.” 

“I don’t think he will.” 

Adira whipped her head around to the source of the noise, though she already knew to whom it belonged to. Quirin looked down at the two of them, shaking himself, not looking much better than Hector, then dropped beside her. 

Adira screamed, she cried and pulled him to her as well. She didn’t know if the decay would spread to her as well, but she didn’t care, and though she’d never admit it, she wished it would infect her. She did not wish to live without them.

“You’re going to be fine.” She muttered to herself, though it got no response, not so much as a quiet breath. She choked back another sob and pulled them even closer, squeezing them tight. 

“Adira?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, not so much as daring to look at the source of the third voice, she didn’t want to see her like this. It was selfish, she knew that, but she didn’t want to remember her that way. She didn’t want _that_ to be what she saw when she thought of her.

“Adira, my love please open your eyes.”

She looked up, slowly loosening her iron grip on Hector and Quirin and meeting eyes with Madeline. “Love?” 

Madeline smiled. A soft, warm _loving_ smile, met with what she knew had to be messy tears. 

“I’m-- I’m so sorry I don’t know what happened-- I-- I don’t know how to fix it--” She sucked in a quick breath. “We just got everyone back, and now they’re gone again.” 

Madeline’s smile turned sad, she knelt down and put a hand to her face, brushing back the loose hair that had fallen out of place in the mess of it all. “There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“How are you just _ok_ with this? They’re-- they’re _dead_ and-- dammit they’re like family to me.” She hugged the two of them tighter. “They’re stupid, and they’re always getting themselves into trouble but i still love them and I--”

Madeline pressed her forehead against Adira’s taking her hands and gently pulling her away. “I know.” She whispered. “I know you do. We need to go.” 

“Where?” 

“Not here. It isn’t safe here.” 

Madeline switched to holding one hand, running away from Quirin and Hector despite Adira’s sputtered protests. She kept running, going past the rotted flowers and trees, getting as much distance from the decay as possible, though their alternative wasn’t much better. A barren land of rocks, something she’d recognized as something resembling her home. 

“Madeline where are--” She started to ask, attempting to get some grasp of something, anything that was happening, but was instead met with black rocks, sharp spikes shooting up all around them.

The queen acted fast, shoving Adira out of the way when a large hoard of them came for the two, though she did not act fast enough for herself. One large spike was sent through her stomach, blood slowly making its way down to the ground. They both froze in place, processing it, neither making so much as a sound. 

Adira was the first to react, screaming out her name and racing toward her. “No no no please I can’t lose you too! Please _please_ you can’t leave me alone like this!” 

Madeline took in a short gasp, followed by another, then a cough, she looked at her with shaking eyes, the first hint of fear Adira had seen from her in over two decades. 

“Mad-- Mads you’ll be alright.” 

“Ha, you know that’s not true.” Madeline huffed out a laugh, followed by a series of coughs. “Come on ‘dira.” 

“Fuck-- no you can’t die yet, you’re not allowed to die yet!” Against all logic, Adira started to shake her. “There’s something important I have to tell you! Something-- something I’ve kept secret for far too long.” 

Madeline lazily tilted her head, eyes slipping open and shut. 

“I-- shit--” She took in a breath. “I’ve had a crush on you ever since you picked up Hector and threw him across the dining hall into Edmund’s face. You’re strong, you’re amazing, you’re good as hell in a fight, and I feel like I’m some sort of middle school girl with a crush when I’m around you and it’s even more stupid because you were married, fuck, you were _married_ , of course I’d fall for someone in love with someone else.” 

“And then-- and then everything went wrong, Edmund died, the kingdom fell to ruin, we lost touch for two fucking decades and I come back and I thought I’d be mature and cool and I ended up a mess all over again and I hated it so much. You--” Adira took Madeline’s hands and squeezed them tight. “You make me such a mess any time I see you and I hate it so much.” 

“That’s a weird way to say I love you.” 

Adira laughed. “Yeah, yeah it is. But I do, I love you Madeline.” 

Madeline smiled, pulled back one of her hands and put it to Adira’s face. “I love you too.” 

The world went white.

* * *

Quirin recognized this feeling, the feeling of blank obscure nothingness, the feeling of being awake yet not quite there, he knew it all too well. The bright, blinding white light that flooded his senses yet didn’t seem to hurt his eyes, the void he was met with once he adjusted to it, it was entirely too familiar to him. 

“ _You._ ”

Quirin jumped. The voice was new. 

“ _It’s your fault I’m like this._ ”

The voice echoed around him, flooding into his ears, making him feel pain, real, actual pain in a world designed to make you feel nothing. He kept turning his head to find the source, searching and searching the void for a face, a form, a person, something to connect it to.

“ _I did everything for you. I don’t know why I even bothered._ ” 

Quirin turned around, and met eyes with his accuser. His son. His son, the way he was just after he’d been trapped in the amber, _his son_ when everything went wrong. Is this what he was like? His eyes never seemed to be able to fit rage in them, always bright eyed and determined to complete whatever task he set for himself. This felt unnatural. 

“ _Did I deserve this? Is that what you think? Did anyone tell you the pain I experienced for months before I so much as raised one hand against the monarchy?_ ”

Yes, he wanted to say. Adira had told him, many times, anything that he had told her about it. Anything she’d found out about without him telling her. It angered him, when he’d found out, he never once thought his son deserved to be hurt, but when he’d seen him again, he couldn’t find the right words. 

“ _Do you think that was just? Do you agree with them? Do you hate me? Why won’t you tell me? I can’t just guess how you feel about me!_ ”

‘No, I don’t hate you. I never hated you’, a few simple words and the issue would be resolved. That’s all he had to do, so _why was it so hard?_ Why couldn’t he ever say what he was feeling, he knew it was important, he knew it mattered to his son, but just...he could never find the words. 

“ _Nothing to say? You always have nothing to say. Unless it’s some sort of lecture! I don’t **understand** you! How do you feel about me? Do you hate me? Just tell me!_”

“No. I don’t.” 

Varian paused, his mouth slid shut. He was waiting for more. Three words wouldn’t be enough. 

“I never hated you. I’m not-- I’m not disappointed in you, I was just...worried you’d get yourself hurt. You’ve done...a lot of good things with what you do, but it’s volatile, and you could get hurt from it. I never…” It felt like it hurt, pushing out all these words. Things he’d thought but never spoke out loud. Was any of it right? Did it make sense? Would his son understand?

“ _Everything I’ve done, all the people I’ve hurt, you hate me for it, don’t you? You were furious when you found out, not that I blame you._ ” The anger in his eyes seemed to dissipate, replaced with guilt, still an emotion that seemed unfit to be there, he wished it weren’t.

“I was. I’m not anymore.” He paused, thought, then spoke again. “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it, couldn’t understand it. I do now.” 

The anger returned. “ _How? How could you possibly understand that?!_ ”

“When I lost you, it was only for a moment. But at that moment… I felt rage, the likes of which I could hardly understand. I wanted to kill that woman. When I look at her, even after she’s no longer a threat, I still do.” He let out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t imagine feeling that rage for so long. But with that understanding...I don’t blame you for what you did. I would have done much worse.” 

Just as quickly as it had come, the anger left again. “ _What...what do you mean?_ ” 

“If I hadn’t pushed you out of the way in time, if _you_ were there instead of me I...I would have done much worse.” 

Varian took a step closer, the emotion present on his face something Quirin couldn’t quite figure out, confusion, maybe. This was out of character for the both of them. 

“Son, I...I know I’ve never been good at this. I’ve been a bad father to you, that much has been made known to me. Adira’s made sure of it.” Quirin gave a quick awkward laugh. “And...for how I’ve been, I’m sorry. It wasn’t right. I know I never said it, but I love you. I’m _proud_ to have someone like you as my son.” 

Varian smiled, took another step toward him, and pulled him into a hug. 

Quirin gasped, that action being the last thing he expected, especially from him, but slowly returned the gesture nonetheless.

“ _That’s all I wanted to hear._ ” Varian whispered. 

Quirin shut his eyes, neglecting to watch the world disappear around him.

* * *

“Ah, I see you’ve all gotten out.” Trumus grumbled, sighing when the vines holding them in place rotted away. “And so quickly, too.” 

The three of them looked at eachother, glad to see the others were ok, Adira staring at Madeline perhaps a bit too long not to be noticeable, then all turning to glare at the man in front of them. They met his eyes, if only for a second, before their gaze met with another. Hector.

“I’ve prepared something for you, while you were out.” Trumus walked over to the man in question, glowing green vines wrapped around him, lifting his arms and twisting his head into an unnatural position, it made them sick. “I hope you like it.” 

“ _What did you do to him?_ ” Adira walked closer to him, taking out her sword and readying it, making a point to aim its threat nowhere near Hector.

“Well, he’s my back up plan. He’s stuck in limbo until I let him out.” Trumus flicked his head, chuckling at the complete lack of reaction. “Clearly simply making things _difficult_ for you didn’t work, so now I’ll make it impossible.” 

“Fine then.” Quirin took a large axe from its hilt on his back and slammed the handle’s body onto his other hand. “We’ll just have to kill you.” 

Trumus, against all odds and basic common sense, was not put off by this display of power. He simply smiled, stepped back, and waited for them to make the first move.

Adira ran, club in hand, jumping up and slamming her weapon down in an effort to crush him under its spikes. Hector yanked himself in between the two and caught the club by the end before it could hit him. 

“Hector you’re going to--” Adira started to say, gasping when blood trickled down his hand. He let go and shoved her to the side. 

Quirin and Madeline ran up to him next, Quirin sending blow after blow with his axe, making a point to miss enough so that Hector wouldn’t get hurt, Madeline feigning an attack at Hector before jumping toward Trumus. 

“Like I’d fall for that.” Trumus scoffed and jumped out of the way, Hector being dragged in his stead. 

Madeline jumped back and slammed her sword into the ground to avoid hitting him, her feet sliding backwards across the floor, tripping and falling on her back. Adira ran up and joined Quirin, slamming the club on either side of him. A hit, always to the ground, cutting a vine and making it coil back. 

Quirin aimed more toward Hector, never quite hitting him. He’d swing toward his side, the vine reaching up to his arm would be cut. He’d swing for his legs, the vines wrapped around them would cut. Never a hard attack, just enough to cut the vines. 

Madeline pushed herself up and sprinted toward the three of them, jumping up on Quirin’s shoulders and vaulting off them toward Trumus. 

“You better beat his ass!” Adira yelled mid-swing. Hector took her moment of distraction to send an attack of his own, a quick swipe at her face, cutting her cheek. “You little-- that’s it! I’m done holding back!” 

“Adira wait he’s--” Quirin started to say, sighing when she threw her club across the room and started throwing punches. 

Adira took over the fight between them, a blow to his face, a kick to the knees, a punch to the gut. Hector wouldn’t react, not so much as a flinch anytime she landed a hit, he’d simply return it with an attack of his own. Adira jumped back at one, sliding back and hitting Quirin’s shoulder.

“Your turn!” She said with a shove. “Mads, you ok over there?!” 

“Fine!” She replied quickly, slamming her sword onto the ground. She could have cut through him, if he weren’t so fast. 

Quirin was on the defensive, Hector’s quick jabs and slashes sending him back a step each time they landed, leaving him unable to ready and attack of his own. Adira waited, a slash across the arm, a jab to the shoulder, a pause, an opening. She ran forward and elbowed him in the gut. They both fell to the ground, the force of her hit enough to send them both back. Adira slammed her hands on each of his shoulders, holding him down as he tried to push himself back up. 

“Come on Hector! Why are you listening to this guy?! _Fight_ ” She slapped him across the face. “ _Back!_ ”

Hector showed no response, he said nothing, the only indication he so much as heard her being the slight twitch of his lip. He shoved her off, blocking Quirin’s immediate attack and sending several short jabs in response, though none of them hit their mark. 

“Alright I think that’s enough from you.” Trumus muttered as Madeline just barely missed his abdomen. He motioned to pull Hector between them again.

“Oh no you don’t!” Adira jumped in front of Hector and slammed him against a wall. 

Trumus looked over, only for a second, a single second of distraction, weakness, opportunity. Madeline took that second and stabbed him clean through the stomach. The vines strewn across the room turned brown and rotted away, slinking back to their creator, wrapping around him as dust spilled through the cracks. Madeline pulled her sword out and sighed.

“Is he ok?” She asked quietly, meeting eyes with the two of them.

Adira slowly loosened her grip on him, letting him fall slightly before catching him and sliding the both of them to the ground. “Yeah...just a little out of it.” 

“Am I…” Hector groaned. “Am I back?” 

Quirin kneeled down and put a hand on Adira’s shoulder. “Yeah. Welcome back.”

“Is he dead?”

Madeline smirked, glancing over to the pile of dust and rot a few feet away. “Yep.” 

Hector flopped his head forward and laughed. “Good. I’m tired.” 

“Ha, yeah.” Adira hugged him tight, resting her chin on top of his head. “Too bad we still have to fight.” 

Hector hummed. “Can we take a nap first?”

Madeline fell backwards onto the floor with a loud thud. “Fuck, please.”

* * *

“Varian! Varian where are--” Rapunzel stopped in front of a block of cells, the sound of maniacal laughter bouncing off the stone walls alerting her to his position. “Varian, what are you doing.” 

Varian, who was leaning against the prison bar of one cell in particular, shot up, his gaze switching quickly over to the large familiar gun propped against one of the walls, ashamed to have simply left it there. “Oh, you know, just...standing here.” 

She walked toward him, glancing over to the person occupying the cell. “Is that...my father? Is he crying??”

Varian snorted. “Wait is he actually?” He looked over, sure enough, tears had formed in the man’s eyes. “Wow. If the kingdom weren’t currently under attack by a demon this would be the best day of my life.” 

“Wha-- how did you even-- what did you _say?”_

“I uh-- I called him a ‘punk ass bitch’ and said the only reason he wasn’t overthrown sooner is because he talks with his fists instead of his words.” 

Varian watched as Frederic turned to look at her with pleading eyes, watching her contemplative expression turn and twist as she thought over it. She paused, looked to Varian, and sighed. 

“Is that it?” 

He choked.

She waited, crossing her arms and tapping a foot while she watched him slowly cave. 

“What are you-- are you giving me a _mom look?_ ” He paused. “And it’s _working?_ ”

She raised a brow, deciding not to respond. 

“Ok fine I also called him a hoe-- but that’s it!” 

She sighed again, longer this time, then started to laugh. The former king looked frantically between the two of them, as though one might take pity and make the other stop, though even he knew that outcome was unlikely. 

“What’s all the commotion about?” A voice asked from the end of the block, Cassandra, Eugene following behind her. 

“Look who Varian found.” Rapunzel pointed to the cell her father was in, talking between laughs. 

Eugene walked over, looked down, and gave a dramatic gasp. “Freddy? Is that you old buddy old pal? So funny running into you here!”

“Have I not suffered enough?” The man asked, slumping his head against the back wall of his cell. 

“Nope!” Eugene answered with a smile before turning over to Cassandra. “Hey, get in on this.” 

“I..what?”

“You heard me. Join us. Bully him. Disrespect your former superior.” 

“Um…” Cassandra took a hesitant step forward, looking nervously down at the former king. “You’re...a jerk.” 

“Cassie you can do better than that.” Varian gave her a quick pat on the back. “Personally I’d go with ‘classist asshat with zero fashion sense’, if I were you.” 

She coughed, choking out a quick laugh before regaining her composure. “I...I think you’re an asshole, sir.” 

Eugene sighed and slumped against her. “You did your best.” 

“Your highness!” A yell rang out through the prison. “Your highness! Your--”

A man bumped into Rapunzel, giving furious repeated apologies and bowing. 

“Is someone here?” Rapunzel simply replied, motioning for him to relax. 

The man nodded violently, giving a long complicated explanation with wild gestures every which way. 

“Show us.” Cassandra cut him off halfway through.

“Right! Right. Follow me.” The man gulped and pointed in the direction of the conflict, practically sprinting over to the battle with the kind of vigor not all of them could keep up with. 

By the time they’d finally arrived half their forces were swallowed whole by giant carnivorous plants. Various soldiers running as fast as they could away from it all only for a plant to slam down on them and shut in on itself. 

“Holy _shit_ I have got to study that!” 

“Varian! Not the time!” Eugene flicked his forehead and drew his sword, pointing it toward his foe. 

“Oh! Yeah, of course.” Varian nodded, stepping back a good distance away from the battle and kneeling on the ground, ready to shoot a moment's notice. 

Several plants formed through the cracks of the stone, small vines turning to flowers large enough to swallow several men, Eugene and Cassandra cut through as many as they could, keeping Rapunzel in between them as she whacked her way through to Gothel. 

“Oi! Old Lady Gothel!” Eugene called out to her once they were close enough. “Take this!” 

A knife was thrown toward her face, just barely being caught in between her fingers before it could hit. Now that they were closer, they could actually see her face. It was different, off, so was the rest of her. She was too tall, too thin, her skin cracked and broke off like an old piece of china, a green glow shining through them. 

“So, that’s her, the old hag in the flesh.” Cassandra stared with wide eyes. “Well, not flesh, at least I don’t think that’s flesh. She’s...slightly more intimidating than I thought she’d be.” 

“Why thank you, that was the idea.” Gothel smiled a wide unnatural smile, the cracks in her face breaking to fit her expression. 

“I only said slightly.” Cassandra narrowed and rolled her eyes before vaulting herself over one of the flowers and moving to attack.

“Wait Cassandra don’t break formation!--” Eugene started to say, then stopped himself when she managed to lodge her sword into the woman’s stomach.

Rapunzel dropped her frying pan, flinching when it hit the ground with a loud clang. “Is she?--”

“Not quite.” Gothel’s smile grew wider, she started to laugh. 

Cassandra tried desperately to wedge her sword out from the cracks, the ominous green glow that grew ever brighter only increasing her concern. Just as she pulled her sword out, a blast of light threw her against a wall, armor smashing against stone and sliding down to the floor. 

“I chose to get rid of all those useless mushy bits, organs and such. Sure I had to sacrifice a few things but,” She touched her face, letting her hand slide down it, a moment of hesitation. “Sacrifices needed to be made.” 

“You-- you just _gave up_ your humanity?!” Rapunzel said in shock, instinctively slamming her hands over her mouth.

Gothel laughed. “Oh like you have any room to talk. You’ve never had to fight for power, it's simply given to you.” 

“Did she just?-- that was an insult. Ok.” Eugene slashed through the plants growing in his way, jumping up from the last one and punching her in the face. He sprinted off before she could retaliate, running over to Cassandra to check her injuries. 

“So,” Cassandra groaned and pushed herself up. “She can’t be killed.” 

“Not from anything we’ve got so far, but I think we have something we could try.” Eugene pointed to the back of the battlefield, Varian, shooting plants that sprouted up and freeing captured soldiers. 

“Blow her to bits. Not a bad plan.” Cassandra nodded and stood up, glancing over to Rapunzel fighting. “You and Raps keep her distracted and in one place, I’ll get Varian.” 

“Are you sure you can--”

“I’ve fought with worse injuries.” She clenched her right hand. “I’ll be fine.”

Eugene nodded and ran over to Rapunzel. “Hey Blondie!”

“Took you long enough!” Rapunzel slammed her pan against a flower, pushing it to the ground. “Could really use the help here!”

“Right, of course!” Eugene looked back to Cassandra, who was already making her way to the back of the block. “I’ll keep these guys off your back, I need you to tie her up!”

“Alright, just give me a-- WOULD YOU _STOP_ LAUGHING SO MUCH?!” Rapunzel cut herself off and threw her hands down to her sides, glaring at Gothel. 

“Oh I am so in love with you right now.” 

“Aw, I think you’re cute when you verbally slaughter people too.” 

“I think I’m better at it.”

“You’ve had more practice.” 

“Fair point.” Eugene tilted his head, then jumped out of the way of an attack. “Alright, let’s get started!” 

“Varian!” Cassandra called out, one arm wrapped around her side. “Varian get your ass over here!” 

“What?!” Varian said between shots. “I’m kind of busy!”

“Well get un-busy! And _get over here!_ ” 

Varian shot up and raced over to her. “Yes ma’am!”

Cassandra sighed. “Alright kid, turns out the witch is immune to stab wounds.”

“You can’t be _immune_ to stabbing--”

“Yes! Yes, I know that, but she is. We thought maybe she wouldn't be immune to getting her face blown off, that’s where you come in.” 

“You’re-- you’re letting me shoot her in the face.” 

“Yes?”

“We’re friends now.” 

Cassandra snorted, then pulled him over in line of Gothel. “They should be keeping her occupied. As soon as you get a good shot, take it, ok?”

Varian gave a quick salute and kneeled down, getting as good of an angle as he could manage, yelping when a plant slammed down next to him. “Cover for me?”

“Anytime.” Cassandra nodded and readied her sword. 

“What exactly do you think you can do, flower?” Gothel chuckled, dodging the hair that Rapunzel tried to whip around her.

“Are you talking to me or your plants?” She responded, any remaining feelings about the woman long since shoved down to the deepest pits of her heart, her eyes showing only rage.

“Ha, nice one Sunshine.” Eugene slipped a quick fist bump before returning to his own fight.

Gothel simply rolled her eyes. “Honestly dear I don’t see why you even both--”

Hair whipped its way around her mouth, then her arms and legs. Rapunzel smiled. “Took a second to gloat, your mistake.” She turned around. “Varian! Now’s your chance!”

“Right. Right ok just have to-- to avoid all the other people fighting in the way, sure. Not a problem.” Varian muttered to himself, aiming his weapon with shaking hands.

Cassandra put a hand on his shoulder. “You got this. Just shoot.”

Varian gulped, nodded, and took in a breath. “Ok.” 

He took the shot.

A scream, an agonizing cry rang out throughout the block, plants rotting and receding all at once, leaving those laid victim to their attacks laying on the floor, both exhausted and terrified at the same time. Gothel held her face in her hands, pulling against the restraints Rapunzel had around her, but found it no use. She once again, turned to dust. 

“We did it.” Rapunzel stood there in shock. “We actually _did it._ ” 

Eugene pulled her into a kiss. “We really did.” 

Cheers and celebration replaced the screams after that short moment of silence, the relieved joy of the men at large able to be heard echoing the halls of every block in the prison. On the floor below, in an empty block, at the back of the hallway, sat Zhan Tiri, a tired, lothesome look on her face.

“I suppose it's time for the real battle to begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holidays and finals really over here saying `no you cant write. ever.` sorry it took so long, and that its... _so long_ but i hope it was worth the wait!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer to write than it probably should have

Flowers and vines grew around her, lacing themselves on the bright blue spikes that shot up along the stone floors and walls. Each bloom would glow a bright green or blue, a blindingly bright light that both annoyed and relieved her. She stood up and took a step, watching the spikes and vines that grew where she moved, she took another step, then another, eyes shining with blind amazement as flowers bloomed and glowed from her feet. 

“Fascinating.” She whispered to herself. 

She shut her eyes and searched the castle grounds for the dusted remains of her former allies, Trumus and Sugracha were close together, the throne room he’d been residing in not far from the courtyard, Gothel was floors below them, though once she’d gotten a good look at who had defeated her, she saw that to be a benefit. 

Zhan Tiri took the green pulsing stone from her pocket and smiled. Rocks shot up all around her, large, ominous black spikes crumbling the ceiling three floors up until it reached where she wanted to be. A pillar shaped rock formed itself at her feet, pushing her up until she reached the floor, landing herself right in front of the former battle sight. 

“Hello sundrop. I see you and your friends have defeated my disciples.” She said with a smile, hands held behind her back. 

The four jumped into a defensive stance, watching her every move, her every step. 

“So, uh, come to surrender now that your lackeys are dead?” Eugene joked, though his voice shook when he did. 

“Hm, no. Actually that's a rather easy fix. Watch.” Zhan Tiri held up the stone, eyes glowing a familiar color, dust lifting from the ground and swirling around her. 

Dust from the throne room, the courtyard as well, both slid and blew their way down to the dungeons to join the storm. Once it had dissipated, four figures were standing there instead of one. 

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.” Varian said, dumbfounded. He turned to Cassandra. “Did you know she could--”

“No.” She spoke quickly, taking a step back. “No, they’ve never died before.” 

“Ha, great.” 

Each of the disciples’ eyes glowed the same green Zhan Tiri’s were, raising their hands smiling when spikes and vines followed the motion. Crashing and cracking could be heard outside the castle, a black skeletal dome forming with flowers and vines weaved themselves around it. Rapunzel started blacking in and out, the darker the world around her got the more she felt like she was going to fall over. 

Eugene caught her before she fell to the ground, looking at their foe with a fiery rage. 

“Shit.” Cassandra muttered under her breath, watching as the darker it got the more effort Eugene had to put in holding Rapunzel up. 

Varian was the first to act, readying his weapon and aiming it toward the group, taking only seconds to aim before he pulled the trigger. The shot was blocked by a large group of rocks, which it shot through, then another group, and another, until it could no longer smash through them, dissipating into a weak yellow smoke. A final set of spikes shot up directly through the weapon responsible, making Varian jump back on reflex. 

“Finally, I’ve been wanting to get rid of that pesky thing for the longest time.” Zhan Tiri groaned, though a small smile creeped up on her face watching sparks fly from its broken state. “Now, I could just kill you lot here and get it over with, but I’d rather make that more...personal. You’ll come last. Have fun watching your friends die!”

Cassandra moved to protest, drawing her sword and taking a step toward her, but was cut off by a swarm of black rocks, all tangling around themselves, caging the four of them inside. Zhan Tiri gave a small wave to them, a rather egotistical one at that, and walked in the opposite direction.

“ _Damn that little brat._ ” Eugene said under his breath, icy cold glare softening as he turned back to Rapunzel. “You alright Sunshine?”

Rapunzel groaned. “Well, I’ve been better.” 

Varian slammed the back of his head against the edge of the cage, sliding down to a sitting position. “So that’s it then. We’re dead.” 

“Considering we’re all still breathing, no, not yet.” Cassandra sat down as well.

“Sure, yeah, I’ll treasure this last half hour sitting in a stupid rock cage waiting for some gremlin toddler to send a fucking spike through my torso, you’re right.” 

“We’ll just find a way out then.” 

“With _what?_ Because last I checked, the only things capable of destroying the rocks were that gun,” Varian pointed to the remnants of the weapon. “And Rapunzel, who’s on the verge of passing out.” 

“What about the floor? We could just break through that.” 

Varian paused, narrowed his eyes, and poured acid on the ground. The stone melted away in a small puddle, leaving behind more rocks. “Welp, we’re doomed.” 

“So...that’s it then. You’re giving up.” Cassandra sighed. “Eugene? Rapunzel?”

“I, um…” Eugene glanced to the side, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck. “I’m not so sure I’ve got anything. Kid’s right, we don’t exactly have many options here.” 

Cassandra glanced down at Rapunzel, barely able to keep her eyes open, leaning against Eugene, then looked back up at the rest of them. “No. No! I _refuse_ for it to end like this.” 

“Cassie, that’s great, but there’s not anything we can do--” 

“Bull _shit._ That is such _**bullshit!**_ ” Cassandra stood up, throwing her hands in the air. “Ugh, I can’t believe you dorks actually managed to beat me!”

Eugene frowned. “Yikes, really just gonna bring that up huh.” 

“Yep! Alright losers it’s speech time. You better get pumped, punch that little demon bitch in the face, take her stupid rock collection and _smash it into the ground!_ ” 

Varian rolled his eyes. “Sure let me just walk right out and do that.” 

“Varian! You of all people shouldn’t be giving up in this situation! How many times have you been in a cell before?”

“Counting you and the house arrest? Four.” 

“The what-- You know what? We’ll talk about that later.” She sighed. “What did you do?”

“I kidnapped the queen?” 

“No-- well, yes, but not what I was going to say! You _kicked_ ass, and you _took_ names!”

“I lost but ok--”

“ _Eugene!_ ” Cassandra interrupted him, turning over to the other two. “Not even a day ago, you told me how much you believed in Corona and its people, are you seriously just going to give up on them like that? Are you just going to give up the second things seem hard?” 

“I’d say no but I really _really_ don’t want to agree with you.” 

“Too _fucking_ bad! I’m right, you’re dumb, moving on! Rapunzel!” 

“Hm?” 

She smiled. “Don’t you dare chicken out on me.” 

“Ha, wouldn’t dream of it.” 

“So! Are we all just going to sit here and wait for our deaths?” 

“No?” The three said in unison.

“Right! We’re not!” 

“Then...what are we going to do?” Varian asked, sitting up slightly straighter.

“We’re going to...sit here and wait for the sun to come back.” 

Varian slammed his head against the cage.

* * *

“‘Dira?” Hector mumbled, still half asleep.

Adira opened her eyes slightly. “Yeah?” 

“There’s explosions happening outside.”

“That sounds like Lance’s problem.”

“That laugh sounds like Zhan Tiri.” He slowly let go of her and dragged a hand down his face, already moving to wake Madeline and Quirin up. 

Adira groaned and hit her head against the wall, but stood up nonetheless, stretching and grabbing her club and practically dragging it across the floor. 

“Oi, wake up you two.” Hector grumbled, shoving the both of them awake. 

“Wha-- oh god is the she-devil back?” Madeline forced herself up and grabbed her sword.

“Yeah!” Adira yelled back to them from across the throne room, peering out to the courtyard. “That stupid french guy’s back too.” 

“No please no I can’t do this again.” Quirin complained, still laying stomach-down on the floor. 

Hector kicked his side. “Too bad, it’s time for round two.” 

Quirin slowly pushed himself up. “Fine. So long as I get to kill him this time.”

“Sounds good to me!” Adira yelled again, already fully awake, while the others drudged their way over to her. “Let’s get going.” 

The three gave a weak thumbs up and followed her out to the courtyard, regaining their lost energy the further they went. By the time they made it out to the courtyard, they were sprinting, having to skid to a stop in front of the group of villains, weapons already in hand. Zhan Tiri had seemingly grown, long, black, coiling tentacles made from sharp black rocks had tangled themselves around her waist, making her tower over them. It was a bit extra, they had to admit. 

“What took you so long?!” Lance shouted, fending off a wave of vines that shot his way.

Hector paused. “We were asleep.” 

“You were _what?--_ ” Another wave of vines came at him, he cut them away and ran over to them. “Are you seriously telling me you took a nap in the middle of a _battle?!_ ”

“Yes that’s exactly what we’re saying.” Adira smiled, a tree branch swung at her side, she wacked it with her club and turned back to him. “We shouldn’t be just talking right now, we’re in a fight.”

Lance dragged his hand down his face, groaned, but nodded, racing off to where the former Captain was, joining him in commanding the troops. 

Hoards of soldiers swarmed the four attackers on all sides, all with varying levels of experience, some flailing their weapons around like madmen while others went for more precise and calculated attacks. All ended with the same results, a jab to the side, or being thrown across the courtyard and crashing into a tree. 

“Ugh!” Caine slashed a large flower in half. “This is _pointless!_ "

“Oh?! Then what do you suggest?! Handing them our weapons and begging for mercy?!” Lance yelled back from across the battlefield.

“Oh, totally! Let’s just get on our hands and knees and tell them ‘Oh please spare us’ and then get immediately disintegrated into nothing! That’s _so_ what I meant!” 

“Could you two _stop arguing_ for a minute and come up with an actual plan to beat this bitch?!” Kiera jumped off her sister’s back and wacked one of the disciples across the head with a mace, giving a frustrated groan when the dust that followed simply reformed. 

“Don’t say that!” The two yelled in response, Kiera groaned again.

Catalina took a swipe at the disciple again, tearing several gashes through their stomach, only to watch the dust that fell from it reform as if it never happened. Her anger only grew at that, slamming her fist onto their head, biting them, sending any attack she could manage only for it to be reversed with a smile. 

“I’m tired of this!” Kiera said between attacks, smashing a flower to bits, perhaps more than needed. 

“I’m tired of this and I’ve only been here for five minutes!” Adira responded, smashing down a vine before it could wrap itself around Kiera. “Great form by the way, you’ve got a knack for this!” 

“Thanks!” She smiled. “So what should we do?”

“We have to get that stone away from her.” Skott pointed up to the small figure several feet above them, a glowing green stone in her hand.

“Yes Captain Obvious, we know that! But how are we going to get the stone away from her? She’s got her stupid bodyguards at every blindspot, and anytime we get close to them they just kick our asses!” Caine glared at him while blocking an attack. “What oh so brilliant plan could top _this_ bullshit?!”

“What if we,” Hector jumped beside her and slashed a tree branch in half. “What if we didn’t have a plan?”

Caine stopped for a moment. “What? Just go feral?”

“Yup! That’s my plan.” 

“Brilliant.” 

“Wait-- wait so we’re just-- we’re just going to do whatever and hope it lands a hit? No battle strategy?” Lance stepped in front of the two of them and blocked a vine with his sword.

“Mhm! Pretty much.” Caine turned to the soldiers. “Alright men! I’d like everyone to go apeshit!” 

“What kind of order is that?!” Lance groaned. “I’d like all the forces to drive toward Zhan Tiri and her disciples! Don’t worry about an attack plan, just keep them all occupied!” 

A chorus of yes sir’s sounded in response, a swarm of guards sprinting over to them, cutting through the vines and trees to meet up with the enemy. Soon there were hoards of guards surrounding the four attackers, all slashing and cutting without any prior thought to it. Any attack sent was met swiftly and surprisingly efficiently. 

“Hey, now’s our chance.” Kiera whispered to her sister, climbing onto her hand. “Throw me up.” 

Catalina nodded and held onto her, gearing herself up to jump. She leaped a good twenty feet, though it still wasn’t high enough, so instead she threw her sister up further. Kiera smiled, took out her mace, and slapped it across Zhan Tiri’s face.

“Ha!” Kiera swiped the stone in the short seconds Zhan Tiri spent reacting to the attack. “Take that you demon bastard!” 

“I thought I said no swear--” Lance yelled up to her, stopping himself as he watched her throw the stone to the ground mid air, the green shattering itself across the cobblestone, before being caught by her sister. “I’ll...I’ll make an allowance. Good job.”

Kiera’s smile grew wider as the disciples turned to dust for the final time, vines, trees, and flowers surrounding them in a large dome rotting away. “Thanks dad!”

“Dad…” Lance wheezed and put a hand on Caine’s shoulder for support. “She-- she called me... oh I’m gonna need a minute.”

* * *

“Ha, look at that!” Cassandra smiled, watching the light pour in from a window nearby. “Not as hopeless as you thought, huh?” 

“Yeah yeah you were right.” Varian rolled his eyes, though his smile matched hers.

Eugene let out a sigh of relief. “How are you feelin’ Blondie?”

“Fine, fine.” She looked up at him, pupils fading and blending with the whites of her eyes until all of it glowed a bright yellow, she spoke again, in a voice layered with one that was not her own. “I’m fine.” 

Eugene let go of her, slowly, standing up and watching her walk over to the edge of the rock encasement, placing the palm of her hand on it, the rocks around them shattering to sparkling dust in an instant. 

“Is she?--” Cassandra started to say, but slammed her mouth shut when more rocks started to shatter.

Rapunzel’s hair twirled around itself, wrapping around her arms and legs as she floated a foot above the ground. Small gold flowers sprouted themselves between the gaps in her hair, glowing petals falling onto the ground and trailing behind her. The three looked at eachother, then slowly started to follow her.

“Um-- Sunshine? You alright?” 

Rapunzel didn’t respond, she looked down at him blankly, then turned her attention back to the way she was going. 

Eugene gulped and looked nervously back to the others. “Um...Cassandra! You’ve dealt with powers being our understanding before, what the fuck do we do here?” 

“If I knew how to turn off the control mechanism we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

“Right. Right. Blondie hey are you--”

“Just leave her be Fitzherbert!” Cassandra snapped, making him jump. “It’s kind of freaky, but there’s nothing we can do. We should just stay out of her way and hope for the best.” 

Eugene nodded and stepped back, keeping his eyes focused on her, biting his lip.

“Did I...did _I_ look like that?” Cassandra whispered, glancing down to Varian.

“Look like what?”

“Not...human.” 

Varian paused, eyes flicking over to Rapunzel, then nodded. “Yeah.” 

Cassandra’s shoulders fell. “Oh.”

Varian frowned, lifting a hand to offer comfort, but stopped himself, instead gripping his sleeves and looking to the ground. He couldn’t look up at Rapunzel, not for more than a second, it was unnerving, the way her skin glowed a sickly yellow, the way her mouth hung open slightly as though she weren’t even awake, the way her body floated and moved as though the thing controlling it didn’t have as much as a basic idea of how a human body worked. It was all so wrong to him, so wrong to look at he couldn’t bear it. 

Zhan Tiri turned around to meet the four of them, as though she’d simply sensed them coming, staring down at Rapunzel with a raging fire in her eyes. “Ah, thought I could keep you occupied. It seems I was wrong.” 

Rapunzel frowned, raised her hand, and crushed it into a fist. The coiling rocks holding Zhan Tiri up shattered to nothing, she fell and hit the ground hard, crashing down with a solid thud. 

Eugene ran around the two, Varian and Cassandra following close behind him, and met up with the others. 

“I need everyone to _stay back._ Rapunzel isn’t in control of her own actions, there’s a chance she could unintentionally hurt one of you!” He ordered to the crowd. They complied, Eugene let out a sigh of relief, turning back to see the two fight. 

“So, sundrop, is _that_ the best you can do?” Zhan Tiri coughed and pushed herself up, smiling as if nothing were wrong. “After all this time I spent seeking you out, and this is all you’re capable of?” 

“Are you trying to mock me?” Rapunzel tilted her head, whatever reaction she had to her, she didn’t show it, face as blank as ever. 

“That was the intention, yes.” She muttered under her breath, raising her hand to send a wave of rocks in her direction.

Rapunzel sighed, not bothering to so much as move as the rocks made their way toward her. They shattered on impact, shards shooting out and dropping to the ground.

“I could say the same for you, you know.” Rapunzel spoke as though she weren’t so much as interested in the fight, as though her attention had been on something else entirely. “So many options at your disposal, yet all you can muster is rage.” 

“I find rage rather fitting thank you.” Zhan Tiri growled, eyes flickering a bright blue black spikes shooting up around her.

Rapunzel floated forward, not fazed by the preparation to attack, she seemed so sure of herself, so sure the rocks would simply shatter before they reached her, it terrified those who watched. Eugene was scared she didn’t even care if the hit landed. 

Zhan Tiri let out a deafening yell, echoing throughout the courtyard, bouncing around and causing a throbbing pain to those who heard it. Spikes, hoards of the black rocks shot out in all directions, some short, some large, all sharp enough to cut through her. And yet, despite how terrified everyone around her was, despite how anyone as much as twenty feet away from the two of them pushed back against the crowd to increase their distance, despite the blood trickling down her face from her ears, she stood there, silent, unmoving, waiting for the attack to hit. 

It didn’t.

Gasping, wheezing could be heard from the demon, Rapunzel’s hair cutting through the rocks as though they weren’t even there, straight toward the girl’s throat, whipping itself around it and squeezing. She floated closer to her, stopping once she was a mere foot away.

“Stop hiding behind a child.” There was only a hint of emotion, her voice had only raised slightly, yet it could be heard for miles, her anger suffocating the girl more than the hair gripping tightly around her neck. 

“Wha--” Zhan Tiri took in a desperate breath. “What?”

“I’m not talking to you.” Her hair gripped tighter. “You caused this, now face the consequences. You can’t hide forever.” 

“Hide?-- I’m not hiding anything!” Zhan Tiri’s anger only seemed to grow, the accusations to her false identity adding fuel to the fire. 

“Fine then. If that’s how you’re going to be.” Rapunzel released the tight grip around her neck, for a second, they’d thought she’d given up. That thought was quickly silenced by her grabbing Zhan Tiri’s face, hands glowing the same yellow as her hair and eyes.

Voices, several voices all layered over one another whispered around them, so many they could hardly make out what they were saying. It sounded familiar, the words that stood out sounding something similar to an incantation, multiple incantations, all of them at once. Zhan Tiri’s eyes, hair, and hands started to glow a bright blue, face falling to a neutral, if a bit displeased expression. 

Rapunzel slowly removed her hands from the girl’s face, floating away from her and opening her mouth to say something. She was cut off by a rock sent to her stomach. 

“I wasn’t hiding.” Zhan Tiri spoke softly, voice layered and deeper than what fit right. 

Eugene ran over to Rapunzel on instinct, placing a hand on her shoulder and asking if she was ok. His hand singed slightly at the touch, he pulled away. 

“Isn’t there _something_ we can do?” Varian found himself speaking at a whisper, as though them overhearing him might lead to a change in targets. 

Eugene glanced between him and the two fighting, wincing as another rock hit Rapunzel’s side. “I don’t know! I don’t exactly have experience with crazy sentient space rocks!”

“What about you guys?” Varian looked over to the brotherhood, they responded with a shrug. “Helpful.” 

“We could try and distract her. Grab Zhan Tiri’s attention so Rapunzel can land a good hit.” Cassandra cut in. They’d never heard her call her by her full name before. 

“ _Finally,_ a half decent suggestion!” 

Caine rolled her eyes. “Yes because attracting the attention of an overpowered demon... _thing_ is a brilliant idea.” 

“That’s why I said _half-decent._ And unless anyone else has a suggestion, it’s the best one we’ve got.” Varian turned toward Rapunzel and Zhan Tiri, the blonde managing to send a blast of light the other’s way. “So...distractions. How do we distract her?” 

“Like this.” Hector smiled and twirled a knife in his hands, just before throwing it at Zhan Tiri’s face. 

“What the _hell_ kind of--” 

“Hey there ya goat-horned bitch! Bet I pissed you off real bad a few years back! Why don’t you let out that anger now?” 

The demon wiped the blood from her cheek and glared at the source of the attack, her face not presenting the same level of rage as it had minutes prior, yet it still sent chills down his spine. 

“So! We got her attention.” Hector said with a nervous smile. “What now?” 

“Now! Now we uh…” Varian took a vial from his bag and shook it, aiming and throwing it at Zhan Tiri and watching it explode in her face, the rocks she summoned barely able to block it. “Now we do that.” 

“Throwing weapons and explosives it is then!” Hector shrugged and gathered an arsenal from various pockets he had on him, how he had that many weapons hidden was beyond them, though at this point they would hardly say they were surprised. 

The others, the ones that hadn’t run away at the sight of supersized explosions, a fight they couldn’t win, or so much as participate in, readied what weapons they had and aimed them toward the demon, throwing swords, knives, and bombs at her, so many she could barely block it. 

“This isn’t _your_ fight!” The woman said, anger only rising the more hits managed to land.

“It became our fight when you decided to take over our kingdom jackass!” Eugene yelled at her before throwing his sword, hitting a rock the girl summoned with a loud clang. 

Rapunzel stared at them, seemingly shocked at their involvement in the fight, then looked back at Zhan Tiri. She was distracted. Rapunzel slipped behind her, floating as quickly as she could before wrapping her arms around the girl's stomach and reaching for the stone. 

“I think you’ve hurt enough people.” She whispered into Zhan Tiri’s ear before she ripped the moonstone from the circlet on her head. 

Zhan Tiri let out a loud agonizing shriek, holding her head, dust and rot spreading from her head to her hands, going down to every inch of her body as though time had suddenly caught up to her. Rapunzel watched blankly while the rest watched in horror, until nothing was left of her but a few specks of dust. 

Eugene was the first to react, followed by Cassandra and Varian, all running over to Rapunzel the second the woman was defeated. Rapunzel’s eyes fluttered shut, the glow faded from her head, she fell down to the ground, barely being caught by Eugene before she hit the pavement. 

“Sunshine, hey, you ok?” Eugene asked quietly, tears forming in his eyes, a slight smile on his face. 

Rapunzel didn’t respond, wincing and hissing in pain, opening her eyes to see smoke sizzling on her hands. The moonstone glowed brighter, her hands glowing in response before she started to scream. 

“Shit! Shit, we have to get that away from her!” Varian reached for the moonstone and tried to pull it away, but it was as if it were stuck to her hands. 

“What the-- this is exactly why I didn’t want her to touch it! Come on Raps don’t you dare die on me.” Cassandra wrapped her hands around the stone as well, the slight singe of her hands more than worth the chance her friend would make it out of this. 

“She’s going to die?!” Eugene yelled, instinctively putting his hands over her’s as well, the responding blast of light not deterring any of them from letting go, nor the way their hands burned at the touch. 

The others watched, standing still for just a moment before running over to them as well, though the pulsing blasts of light kept them from getting close, blowing them back anytime they managed to get within a few feet of them. 

Rapunzel’s screaming quieted down, the only proof they needed that their actions were helping, the glow from her hair slowly dying down, the yellow spreading from her head down to her hands, leaving her hair a dark brown. They watched as the light got brighter and brighter, mixing and melding with the blue glow of the moonstone to form a light green. The light bubbled and swirled around them, a stone made of swirling blue and yellow light floating up from their hands before shooting into the sky above them. 

One final blast of light followed, the four barely able to hold onto each other to keep themselves from being blown away. When they opened their eyes and looked around, the rocks were gone. Any sign of the battle, the challenges they’d faced over the past several years, gone, the only trace being the ruined castle grounds. 

“Did...did we just win?” Adira said softly, almost doubting the reality of their situation. 

Kiera blinked, grinned, and pumped her fist in the air. “Hell yeah we did!” She laughed and ran over to Varian, dragging Catalina with her and pulling them both into a strong hug. “We did it! We kicked their sorry butts!” 

“Yeah...I think we did.” Varian smiled, slightly out of breath. He looked back to the other three with a smile, but stopped and stared, a look of shock on his face.

“Hairstripe? I think you got your hairstripe back.” Eugene stared back at him, same look of surprise on his face.

“Tha-- it’s--” Varian grabbed a piece of his hair. Sure enough, it was the same blue it had been before. “Copyright!” 

“Wha--”

“This is copyright! First my hairstripe gets taken away and now all of you have one that’s not _fair!_ ” 

Eugene paused and looked at Cassandra and Rapunzel, a blue streak amongst black hair and a yellow amongst brown. He grabbed his own hair, picking out a part of it that shined a golden yellow and screamed. 

“Ew! Ew ew no no no no I can’t have stupid magic hair I can’t do this no I can’t--” 

“Eugene.” Rapunzel said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“This is gross and awful and I hate it! Yellow isn’t even my _color--_ ”

“Eugene.” She said louder.

“I mean blonde is _your_ color blondie-- wait should I call you blondie now because you’re only 20% blonde at this point I need to come up with so many new nicknames for you--”

“ _Eugene!_ ”

“What?!”

She smiled. “Welcome to the magic hair club.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hairstripes baby!! Now we just gotta do a prologue and I'm DONE


	18. Chapter 18

“Man, I’m glad we could cut this.” Eugene muttered to himself, chopping away at the long brown strands of hair. “Even the blonde streaks too, good thing, it would’ve been weird to have two seventy foot streaks.” 

“I could probably make it work.” Rapunzel snorted and continued braiding Cassandra’s hair. She’d insisted Cassandra stay with them for this, some excuse about wanting to do something with the blue streaks, but really she just missed it, her, too. 

“So how short do you want to go here?” Eugene stopped cutting. “Now that you know, your life isn’t in danger, we could go for whatever you want.” 

“Actually, can you do the same haircut you gave me last time?” 

“ _Really?_ The jagged bullcrap I did with a glass shard delirious from blood loss? _That_ choppy nightmare?”

“Yes, that’s the one!” Rapunzel smiled. “I like it. It’s just-- it’s kind of like a reminder to me. A reminder of what you did for me, what I did for you, and how we’re here because of it.” 

“Oh that’s actually..really sweet.” 

“And I just...really like it short.” 

“I for one, support her decision to go for a bob.” Cassandra piped in.

“You’re just saying that because it’s _your_ hairstyle, Cass.” 

“Hey, it’s a good hairstyle! Light, easy to take care of, doesn’t need anything special done to it, it’s perfect. I’d go shorter, but then who’s hair would Raps get to mess with?”

“Shockingly, Varian’s hair is very fun to braid! And he refuses to change the length. _Ever._ ”

“Huh, I’m surprised you didn’t drag him into this. Then we could’ve had a _real_ braid train.” 

“Oh, I was going to, but him and his dad were talking and I didn’t want to interrupt them.” 

A loud, long cut sounded behind her. Eugene forced a smile. “They were?” 

“It was a good talk, Eugene.” Rapunzel frowned. “Besides, Lance and the girls were three feet away and ready to attack. I don’t think they needed any backup.” 

“Fine, fine, ok.” Eugene held up his hands in defeat and went back to cutting her hair. 

“So, you two got engaged.” 

“Mhm! You just noticed the rings?” 

“I’m not very observant.” 

Rapunzel snorted. “Well! Yes, we are getting married.”

“When’s the wedding?” 

“We’re um…” She started to say, drifting off into thought.

“We’re not sure yet.” Eugene finished. “Honestly, we’ve barely even thought about it.” 

“Well, now that there’s no threat of annihilation, maybe give that a bit of thought?”

He hummed. “Maybe.” Eugene set down the scissors and smiled. “Hair’s done Blond-- fuck what do I call you now. I’m having a crisis.” 

Rapunzel kissed his cheek and stood up. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I have to go set things up for the celebration tonight, bye!” 

Cassandra and Eugene waved as she ran out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her, falling into silence shortly after. 

“So…” 

“So?” 

Eugene rubbed the back of his neck. “So I just came to the realization that not one of Rapunzel’s friends is a law abiding citizen.” 

“What? No there’s still-- well she’s friends with-- I mean if--” Cassandra paused. “No that can’t be right.” 

“Think about it! Me and Lance are renowned thieves, so are Kiera and Catalina, then you have Caine, who I don’t even know all the crimes she’s committed, and you and Varian who...did things.” 

“Murder. We both attempted murder.” 

“Yes among other things. _Speaking_ of attempted murder--”

“Wow what a pleasant transition.”

“What are we going to do about your sentence?” 

“Since the rocks are destroyed we could um...always try hanging, if the kid can get out of it so can I.” 

“He was too small for the noose, you’d probably die in a few seconds.” 

“Boo. Lame.” Cassandra paused. “Well it’s not like the kingdom’s going to rebuild itself! I’ll help with that.” 

“And how long should we do it for? We want to make sure it’s long enough the citizens don’t feel cheated. I know with Varian they were all pretty pissed he ‘got off the hook’ so to speak, even if he really _really_ didn’t, so we need to make sure that doesn’t happen with you, but we don’t want to go too _hard_ either so--”

“I’ll do it until the capital is fully rebuilt.”

Eugene choked. “It’s… a _lot_ of damage, Cassandra.”

“A lot of damage that wouldn’t have _happened_ if I’d been a little smarter. I’m ok with it, really.” 

“If you’re really sure…” He laughed. “Oh and, by the way, Lance is looking into getting you a position on the guard once your sentence is complete, for both you and your father. I’m sure you’ll both rise up the ranks fast, or well, he’ll rise back up the ranks.” 

“Oh! Thanks. Though, if it’s ok I’d like to get in through the _actual_ exams. I want to earn it, not have it be given to me.” 

“Cass you’ve more than earned it already--” She glared. “Ok! Fine you can do the placement test. Whatever floats your boat!” 

Cassandra smiled. “Thanks, Eugene.”

He sighed. “Sure, whatever. We should get going.” 

“Yeah yeah ok. Celebration time! Can’t wait to sit in the corner and slowly sink into the wall!” 

“Well you’ve got a positive attitude, that’s a start!” Eugene smiled and walked out of the room, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

Cassandra flopped her head on the table in front of her, lifted up her gaze to look in the mirror. The braids in her hair were perfect as always, Rapunzel seemed to have a knack for it. Normally she’d take them out before going out, but now...She stood up and walked out of the room, leaving them in and wearing them with pride.

* * *

“Son?” 

Varian turned around fast, almost startled by the sudden noise, even more so by the source. “Er, yeah?” 

“We um...we need to talk.” Quirin rubbed the back of his neck and motioned for him to follow, to step away from the large crowd of people in the courtyard. 

He relented, most likely out of prior wanting to separate from the large group of people, and allowed Quirin to lead him out to the town just outside the crowd. He caught sight of Lance out of the corner of his eye, the man looked at him, silently asking if he’d have to step in, Varian shook his head, though he was relieved to have someone nearby. They stopped, Quirin standing in front of him, hand on his shoulder, waiting for someone to say something. 

“I’m sorry.” Quirin spoke quickly, as though the words had been building up that entire time. “I’ve been unfair to you. I told you that doing experiments like that was wrong, but I never told you _why._ It was dangerous, I wasn’t disappointed that you failed, I was worried you were going to get yourself or someone else hurt.” 

“I-- I did. I’m sorry.”

“No!” He stopped himself, talking quieter this time. “No, that was my fault. I should have been more honest, about the black rocks, where you’re from, everything. I’ve been keeping things from you when I shouldn’t have.” 

“Well, yeah but-- I’m-- well, I was a kid, you don’t have to tell me everything.” 

“That kind of information is important, and I’m sorry I never told you. I’m sorry you had to find out on your own. All of this, how much you’ve grown, all that you’ve done, you did it without me, without my help or guidance. I sat back and watched other people raise you for me, I watched you raise yourself, and I blamed you for the messes you made without so much as telling you why I was mad.” 

“Dad, I--”

“I want to make things up to you. I know I haven’t done much right, but I want to at least try to.”

“I-- I um--” Varian fiddled with his hands. It was easy when he yelled at him, something he could just take and move on from, but this, with this he didn’t know what to do. 

“You don’t have to do anything-- or say anything really. I just wanted to get that off my chest. And, er,” Quirin put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m proud of you, son. I’m proud of the person you’ve become.’ 

His breath was caught in his throat, it felt like the world stopped then and there, like the moment had slowed to let him process it. He felt warm tears well up in his eyes, words he longed to hear for _years_ finally spoken. He slammed himself into the man, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

“Thanks.” He said softly. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” 

Quirin gasped at the sudden movement, then relaxed, returning the hug. “I think I’m starting to.” 

He looked up for just a moment to see the queen, a soft smile on her face, her long brown hair draped across the ground. She waved, choosing not to walk over, and made her way into the courtyard. Quirin hugged his son tighter. He was happy, for the first time in a long while, he was truly, honestly, happy.

* * *

Cassandra took in a deep breath as she pushed open the castle doors, bright light flooding her eyes the second she stepped out onto the courtyard. It felt like too much, in that moment, all the talking, yelling, the people. She met eyes with Varian, who was hiding in the back corner of the crowd talking to his father. He gave her a quick smile and returned to whatever he was rambling about, Quirin listening and nodding along. She decided she wouldn’t interrupt them.

She looked around again and caught sight of Lance and the girls, Caine dancing around the two kids with a knife that they kept trying to snatch, Lance panicking over one of them getting stabbed. She couldn’t interrupt them either. The brotherhood, she hardly knew them, and they didn’t have a good enough relationship she could talk to them. It’d be awkward. Rapunzel and Eugene were there, but they were busy dealing with the citizens. Everyone was with someone, talking, laughing, everyone but her. 

“Cassandra?”A soft, familiar voice asked. 

Cassandra turned around and smiled. “Hey dad.” 

“I see nothing’s changed. You’re still hiding at the punch bowl while everyone else talks.” He said with a quiet laugh. 

“I think it’s a little different this time.” 

Skott frowned. “Right. How about we hide in the back together? I’ve been getting more than a few odd stares from the general public ever since I was let out. That is of course, if you don’t mind hanging out with your _dad_ of all people.” 

“Ew, gross.” She laughed. “Though, I guess it’s better than being _alone._ ”

He gasped in mock offense. “I see, I’m just the better alternative.”

“Aw I wouldn’t say that. Besides, I wanted to talk to you.”

“What about?” 

“Well, er,” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Rapunzel just wants to ignore everything that happened and move on, Eugene’s happy to do the same. Varian’s trying to, but he’s made it pretty clear he’s not going to just let everything go, not that I blame him. And everyone else is just...wary. And I can’t really figure out how to fix it, because I don’t know how exactly I messed up! I know I did, obviously, but I’m not sure where, does the possession bit count or would it just be when I was in control? What about the red rocks? Do my intentions matter here? I just-- You’re good at law things. Tell me what to think.” 

“I can’t tell you what to think, and I doubt the advice I have to offer would be very good.” He sighed. “Cassandra, I’ve had to do a lot of thinking over the past year, and I’ve come to see not everything is so black and white. If you were to ask me before all this if I thought you were in the wrong, I’d say yes, without a doubt. Everything you did here was abhorrent and worthy of prison. But now…” 

“Now?” 

“Now I realize intent is a factor, the reasons behind an action are just as important as the action itself. More than that, what you do after. My advice would not be to forgive and forget, or to lock you away where you could never hurt anyone again. It would be to take what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and use that knowledge to be a better person. Make things up to people.” 

“So what I’m doing now, helping rebuild the capital, that’s the right thing?” 

“It’s certainly a start. We both have a lot of apologizing to do, and a lot of people to me amends to, but at the very least...well at least we don’t have to do it alone.” 

“Heh, yeah.” She smiled. “Can’t believe prison made you soft.” 

“Wha-- it most certainly did not!” He choked. “You don’t know what it’s like in there! I doubt any man could ‘go soft’!” 

“And who’s fault is that?”

“Mine! That was the point of this entire conversation--”

“Cass!” Rapunzel yelled, running up to her and pulling her into a tight hug. “I thought you said you weren’t going to show up for this!” 

“Oh well-- wow you’re hugging me really tight-- I’m just here for the food.” 

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. “What about your friends?”

“Ew, I have those? What gave you that idea.” 

“You’re in a good mood.” Lance smiled, arms crossed, two little girls trailing behind him, Caine walking next to him twirling a knife in her hand.

“The best.” 

“Yep! Rapunzel sanctioned a big group hug to be part of the events, didn’t you hear about it?” Eugene rested his arm on Rapunzel’s shoulder, a wide grin on his face. “Hey everybody! Let’s go hug Cassandra! She _really_ hates that!” 

“Eugene I swear to--” 

She felt someone jump on her, leaping up from behind and wrapping their hands around her neck, she gasped and turned around. “Heya Cassie!” 

“What are you _doing?_ ”

“Revenge!” He laughed maniacally, letting go of her neck so he could pull her into a proper tight hug, practically lifting her off the ground.

“Put me down-- how can you even _lift_ me-- PUT ME DOWN--”

“Not a chance!”

Quirin tapped his shoulder. “Varian, please put her down.” 

He paused and slowly let go.

“You’re not any fun, brother.” Hector grumbled, Adira and Madeline nodding behind him. “I’m considering this justice for the Dark Kingdom. Let him lift her.” 

“Let him lift. Let him lift.” Adira muttered a chant, receiving an elbow to the side from Madeline. “Killjoy.”

“Wait until Quirin’s out of sight, then we tackle her.” Madeline whispered.

“Oh my god I love you.”

“You know, you bring up a fair point, I think just about everyone is crowded around you now.” Skott sighed. 

“Because we loooove you.” Varian joked, leaning against her and putting a hand to his forehead. “We don’t know what to do without you Cassie, we’re all alone, no threats on our lives to keep us company! Whatever shall we do!”

“Die, I guess.” Cassandra deadpanned.

“See that’s exactly my point.” Varian stood up. “Amazing, we love to see it.” 

“We did really miss you, Cass.” Rapunzel put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. 

“Missed you too, Raps.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “And, er, I guess it is nice being all together like this.”

Her smile widened. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

_Now, I bet you’re all wondering where it goes from here._

_First off, the brotherhood’s doing great for themselves. They all packed their bags and headed back to the dark kingdom not long after the celebrations, declaring they would rebuild it. Not sure how four people can manage that, but they’re pretty determined. As much as I hate to say it, and I really, really hate to say it, Adira is on track to being my step mom. She abuses that title constantly._

_Lance and Caine finally adopted the girls, though they almost ran away again when they found out the only options they had for a last name was Schnitz or Birdsley. Anytime someone asks they pick a different one, or say they don’t have one altogether. It’s worth it for the pancakes, though._

_Varian got an official title as Head Nerd-- I mean Head Scientist, and he’s been blowing things up ever since. Sometimes it feels like we’re part of a divorce agreement. He’ll stay at the castle, the treehouse, the dark kingdom, switching between the three like the world's worst game of hopscotch. I’m happy to say he stays at the castle most._

_Cassandra was true to her word, she never gave up on completing her sentence, despite almost everyone insisting she didn’t have to. Her and her father are stubborn like that, and Corona has never looked cleaner. Lance gave them both jobs as guards the second they were done, of course they passed the entry test with flying colors, and rose up the ranks in the blink of an eye. They’re now both working on training new recruits, serving as the heads of the criminal rehabilitation program, and they make prisoners piss their pants every day._

_As for me and blondie? Well, I’m still trying to find a new nickname for her. Our wedding’s next week, and I can’t finish my speech without one._

_I’m sure you’ll come up with something, Eugene._

_Oh I will, and it’s going to be perfect._

_I can’t wait._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It's finally over! I can't believe it. I've been working on this since May of last year and its finished. I'm glad you all stuck by me for this mess, despite how much of a goliath it is. I believe the final page count is...435 pages, both fics. _Wow_. So yeah! This was fun, and I hope you stick around for all the other fics I've got in store, I don't plan on leaving this fandom anytime soon.


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